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All Canada British Columbia Alaska-Canada Highway Mile 0

Alaska-Canada Highway Mile 0

The arch marks the beginning of the road for northbound travelers.

Dawson Creek, British Columbia

Added By
amdehart
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Alaska Highway Mile 0 sign   Will Elmore
Alaska Highway Mile 0 sign   Will Elmore
  Eric Christensen / Atlas Obscura User
  Eric Christensen / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Alaska-Canadian Highway, also known as the Alcan Highway or simply the Alaska Highway, was an ambitious engineering project constructed during World War II. It has been described as the largest and most difficult construction project since the Panama Canal. 

The highway begins at Dawson Creek in British Columbia, where this sign and a small cairn mark the start of the road. From there, the 1,400-mile-long highway snakes northwest through Canada to Alaska. The majority of the roadway is actually in Canada. When it was completed in 1942, the highway measured about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers) long, but because of rerouting and reconstruction, it is now some 300 miles shorter than that original length.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, another signpost marks the (unofficial) end of the historic route.

Related Tags

Signs Automotive History Roads Highways

Community Contributors

Added By

amdehart

Edited By

Eric Christensen, Michelle Cassidy

  • Eric Christensen
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

November 7, 2023

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Sources
  • https://themilepost.com/routes/alaska-highway/
  • https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg13/id/73/
  • https://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/alcan-signs.html
Alaska-Canada Highway Mile 0
1317 Dawson Creek-Tupper Hwy
Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Canada
55.762295, -120.239169
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Kiskatinaw Bridge

Parkland, British Columbia

miles away

Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum

Wembley, Alberta

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of British Columbia

British Columbia

Canada

Places 135
Stories 22

Nearby Places

Kiskatinaw Bridge

Parkland, British Columbia

miles away

Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum

Wembley, Alberta

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of British Columbia

British Columbia

Canada

Places 135
Stories 22

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