March 7, 1942

ROAD TO ALASKA

Work To Begin on Alaska-Canada Highway

OTTAWA, Canada—Engineers from the United States Army are on their way to Alberta, Canada, to initiate preliminary work on the Alaska-Canada highway. Official construction will begin tomorrow. Canadian Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King announced yesterday that the Canadian cabinet had approved the project. The road will approximately follow one of the trails used by gold-seekers headed for the Yukon during the 1898 rush. It will run from Fort St. John, British Columbia, and Fairbanks, Alaska. The $30,000,000 million project was previously approved by the U.S.-Canadian joint defense board. Alaska is considered America’s door into Asia. While the impetus for the road is military and defense needs, its construction will also spur civilian activities among the local inhabitants along its length.