Portage Glacier Highway

Portage Glacier Highway
Whittier Access Road
Map
Portage Glacier Highway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Alaska DOT&PF
Length11.59 mi[2][3] (18.65 km)
ExistedJune 7, 2000[1]–present
Major junctions
West end AK-1 (Seward Highway) in Portage
East end Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal in Whittier
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughsMunicipality of Anchorage, Unorganized
Highway system

The Portage Glacier Highway, or Portage Glacier Road, is a highway located in the U.S. state of Alaska. The highway is made up of a series of roads, bridges, and tunnels that connect the Portage Glacier area of the Chugach National Forest and the city of Whittier to the Seward Highway. Most of the highway travels through mainly rural areas just north of the Kenai Peninsula, with the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel passing under Maynard Mountain, part of the Chugach Mountain Range. Parts of the route were first constructed in the early 1900s, and the entire highway was completed on June 7, 2000, as part of the Whittier Access Project. The main portion of the highway traveling from the western terminus to the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Lake is designated as National Forest Highway 35 by the United States Forest Service (USFS).

  1. ^ Clark, Maureen (June 8, 2000). "Road to Whittier opens amid protests". Juneau Empire. OCLC 6427731. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Witt, Jennifer W. (2010). Annual Traffic Volume Report (PDF) (Report) (2008-2009-2010 ed.). Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. pp. III–34 – III–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 30, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2012.