Editing Alaska (section)

==Transportation==
{{Main|Transportation in Alaska}}

===Road===
{{See also|List of Alaska Routes}}
Alaska has few road connections compared to the rest of the U.S. The state's road system, covering a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the [[Alaska Highway]], the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, Juneau, is not accessible by road, with access only being through ferry or flight;<ref>{{cite web|last=Yardley|first=William|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/us/06road.html|url-access=subscription|title=In Juneau, Firm Resistance to a Road Out of Isolation|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 6, 2008|accessdate=May 7, 2023|archive-date=March 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328012425/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/us/06road.html|url-status=live}}</ref> this has spurred debate over decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system, or building a road connection from [[Haines, Alaska|Haines]]. The western part of Alaska has no road system connecting the communities with the rest of Alaska.

The [[Interstate Highways in Alaska]] consists of a total of {{Convert | 1082 | mi}}. One unique feature of the Alaska Highway system is the [[Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel]], an active [[Alaska Railroad]] tunnel recently upgraded to provide a paved roadway link with the isolated community of [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]] on [[Prince William Sound]] to the [[Seward Highway]] about {{convert|50|mi|km}} southeast of Anchorage at [[Portage, Alaska|Portage]]. At {{convert|2.5|mi|km|1}}, the tunnel was the longest road tunnel in North America until 2007.<ref>completion of the {{convert|3.5|mi|km|adj=on|1}} [[Interstate 93]] tunnel as part of the "[[Big Dig]]" project in Boston, Massachusetts.</ref> The tunnel is the longest combination [[List of road-rail tunnels|road and rail tunnel]] in North America.

Southwest Alaska is largely coastal, sparsely populated, and unconnected to the road system. Access to most communities in Southwest Alaska is primarily by air taxi, although larger towns like Kodiak, Bethel, King Salmon, Dillingham, and Dutch Harbor are accessible by scheduled air service. Additionally, some coastal communities can be reached via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alaska's Southwest Region {{!}} Travel Alaska |url=https://www.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Regions/Southwest |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=www.travelalaska.com |language=en}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Sterling Highway.jpg|The [[Sterling Highway]], near its intersection with the [[Seward Highway]]
File:Susitnabridge.JPG|The [[Susitna River]] bridge on the [[Denali Highway]] is {{convert|1036|ft}} long.
File:Interstate Routes in Alaska.svg|[[List of Interstate Highways in Alaska|Alaska Interstate Highways]]
File:AlaskaSign.jpg|right|Alaska welcome sign on the [[Klondike Highway]]
</gallery>

===Rail===

Built around 1915, the [[Alaska Railroad]] (ARR) played a key role in the development of Alaska through the 20th century. It links shipping lanes on the North Pacific with [[Interior Alaska]] with tracks that run from [[Seward, Alaska|Seward]] by way of [[South Central Alaska]], passing through [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]], [[Eklutna]], [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]], [[Talkeetna, Alaska|Talkeetna]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]], with spurs to [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]], [[Palmer, Alaska|Palmer]] and [[North Pole, Alaska|North Pole]]. The cities, towns, villages, and region served by ARR tracks are known statewide as "The Railbelt". In recent years, the ever-improving paved highway system began to eclipse the railroad's importance in Alaska's economy.

The railroad played a vital role in Alaska's development, moving freight into Alaska while transporting natural resources southward, such as coal from the Usibelli coal mine near [[Healy, Alaska|Healy]] to Seward and gravel from the [[Matanuska Valley]] to Anchorage. It is well known for its summertime tour passenger service.

The Alaska Railroad was one of the last railroads in North America to use [[caboose]]s in regular service and still uses them on some gravel trains. It continues to offer one of the last [[Request stop|flag stop]] routes in the country. A stretch of about {{convert|60|mi|km|-1}} of track along an area north of Talkeetna remains inaccessible by road; the railroad provides the only transportation to rural homes and cabins in the area. Until construction of the Parks Highway in the 1970s, the railroad provided the only land access to most of the region along its entire route.

In northern Southeast Alaska, the [[White Pass and Yukon Route]] also partly runs through the state from [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]] northwards into Canada ([[British Columbia]] and [[Yukon Territory]]), crossing the border at [[White Pass]] Summit. This line is now mainly used by tourists, often arriving by cruise liner at Skagway. It was featured in the 1983 [[BBC]] television series ''[[Great Little Railways]].''

These two railroads are connected neither to each other nor any other railroad. The nearest link to the North American railway network is the northwest terminus of the [[Canadian National Railway]] at [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia]], several hundred miles to the southeast. In 2000, the U.S. Congress authorized $6&nbsp;million to study the feasibility of a rail link between Alaska, Canada, and the [[lower 48]].<ref name="RailLink1">{{cite web|url=http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/powerplay/archive/2010/12/13/transporting-oil-across-b-c.aspx |title=Alaska Oil / BC Tar sands via rail |first=Barbara |last=Yaffe |date=January 2, 2011 |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219014658/http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/powerplay/archive/2010/12/13/transporting-oil-across-b-c.aspx |archive-date=December 19, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="RailLink2">{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2138860820070622 | title=Economic study touts Alaska-Canada rail link | first=Allan |last=Dowd | date=June 27, 2007 | access-date=January 2, 2011 | work=Reuters | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713120019/https://www.reuters.com/article/environment-alaska-railway-dc/economic-study-touts-alaska-canada-rail-link-idUSN2138860820070621 | archive-date=July 13, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="RailLink3">{{cite web|url=http://alaskacanadarail.com/index.html |title=Alaska Canada Rail Link |website=AlaskaCanadaRail.org |date=January 2, 2005 |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425025223/http://alaskacanadarail.com/index.html |archive-date=April 25, 2011 }}</ref> As of 2021, the [[Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation]] had been placed into receivership.

Some private companies provides [[car float]] service between [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]] and [[Seattle]].

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Alaska Railroad, Girdwood, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-08-31, DD 40.jpg|An [[Alaska Railroad]] locomotive over a bridge in Girdwood approaching Anchorage (2007)
File:Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, In to the Tunnel.jpg|The [[White Pass and Yukon Route]] traverses rugged terrain north of [[Skagway]] near the [[Canada–United States border|Canada–US border]].
</gallery>

===Sea===
Many cities, towns, and villages in the state do not have road or highway access; the only modes of access involve travel by air, river, or the sea.

[[File:Tustumena, Alaska Marine Highway.jpg|thumb|The {{MV|Tustumena}} (named after [[Tustumena Glacier]]) is one of the state's many ferries, providing service between the [[Kenai Peninsula]], [[Kodiak Island]] and the [[Aleutian Chain]].]]

Alaska's well-developed state-owned ferry system (known as the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]) serves the cities of [[Southeast Alaska|southeast]], the Gulf Coast and the Alaska Peninsula. The ferries transport vehicles as well as passengers. The system also operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham, Washington]] and [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia]], in Canada through the [[Inside Passage]] to [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]]. The [[Inter-Island Ferry Authority]] also serves as an important marine link for many communities in the [[Prince of Wales Island (Alaska)|Prince of Wales Island]] region of Southeast and works in concert with the Alaska Marine Highway.

In recent years, cruise lines have created a summertime tourism market, mainly connecting the Pacific Northwest to Southeast Alaska and, to a lesser degree, towns along Alaska's gulf coast. The population of [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]] for example fluctuates dramatically on many days—up to four large cruise ships can dock there at the same time.

===Air===
Cities not served by road, sea, or river can be reached only by air, foot, [[dogsled]], or [[Continuous track#Snow vehicles|snowmachine]], accounting for Alaska's extremely well developed [[Alaskan Bush|bush]] air services—an Alaskan novelty. Anchorage, and to a lesser extent Fairbanks, is served by [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport#Airlines and destinations|many major airlines]]. Because of limited highway access, air travel remains the most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Anchorage recently completed extensive remodeling and construction at [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport]] to help accommodate the upsurge in tourism (in 2012–2013, Alaska received almost two million visitors).<ref>
State of Alaska Office of Economic Development. ''[http://commerce.alaska.gov/dnn/ded/DEV/TourismDevelopment/TourismResearch.aspx Economic Impact of Alaska's Visitor Industry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522032359/http://commerce.alaska.gov/dnn/ded/DEV/TourismDevelopment/TourismResearch.aspx |date=May 22, 2014 }} ''. January 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
</ref>

Making regular flights to most villages and towns within the state commercially viable is difficult, so they are heavily subsidized by the federal government through the [[Essential Air Service]] program. [[Alaska Airlines]] is the only major airline offering in-state travel with jet service (sometimes in combination cargo and passenger [[Boeing 737]]-400s) from Anchorage and [[Fairbanks International Airport|Fairbanks]] to regional hubs like [[Bethel, Alaska|Bethel]], [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]], [[Kotzebue, Alaska|Kotzebue]], [[Dillingham, Alaska|Dillingham]], [[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]], and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities.
[[File:ERA Aviation prop plane landing at ANC (6194226738).jpg|thumb|A [[Bombardier Dash 8]], operated by [[Era Alaska]], on approach to [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport]]]]

The bulk of remaining commercial flight offerings come from small regional commuter airlines such as [[Ravn Alaska]], [[PenAir]], and [[Frontier Flying Service]]. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered bush flying services using general aviation aircraft such as the [[Cessna Caravan]], the most popular aircraft in use in the state. Much of this service can be attributed to the Alaska bypass mail program which subsidizes bulk mail delivery to Alaskan rural communities. The program requires 70% of that subsidy to go to carriers who offer passenger service to the communities.

Many communities have small air taxi services. These operations originated from the demand for customized transport to remote areas. Perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the bush seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is [[Lake Hood Seaplane Base|Lake Hood]], located next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where flights bound for remote villages without an airstrip carry passengers, cargo, and many items from stores and warehouse clubs.

In 2006, Alaska had the highest number of pilots per capita of any U.S. state.<ref>
Out of the estimated 663,661 residents, 8,550 were pilots, or about one in 78, Federal Aviation Administration. ''[http://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/civil_airmen_statistics/2005/ 2005 U.S. Civil Airman Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229221505/http://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/civil_airmen_statistics/2005/ |date=December 29, 2009 }} ''</ref> In Alaska there are 8,795 active pilot certificates as of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/civil_airmen_statistics/|title=U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics|website=www.faa.gov|language=en-us|access-date=2020-11-01|archive-date=May 10, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510111705/https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/civil_airmen_statistics/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Snow===
Another Alaskan transportation method is the [[dogsled]]. In modern times (that is, any time after the mid-late 1920s), dog [[mushing]] is more of a sport than a true means of transportation. Various races are held around the state, but the best known is the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]], a {{convert|1150|mi|adj=on}} trail from Anchorage to Nome (although the distance varies from year to year, the official distance is set at {{convert|1049|mi|km|disp=or|abbr=out}}). The race commemorates the famous [[1925 serum run to Nome]] in which mushers and dogs like [[Togo (dog)|Togo]] and [[Balto]] took much-needed medicine to the [[diphtheria]]-stricken community of [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] when all other means of transportation had failed. Mushers from all over the world come to Anchorage each March to compete for cash, prizes, and prestige. The "Serum Run" is another sled dog race that more accurately follows the route of the famous 1925 relay, leaving from the community of [[Nenana, Alaska|Nenana]] (southwest of Fairbanks) to Nome.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.serumrun.org/ |title=Norman Vaughan Serum Run |publisher=United Nations |date=April 15, 2010 |access-date=June 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303205023/http://serumrun.org/ |archive-date=March 3, 2009 }}</ref>

In areas not served by road or rail, primary transportation in summer is by [[all-terrain vehicle]] and in winter by [[snowmobile]] or "snow machine", as it is commonly referred to in Alaska.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsminer.com/features/outdoors/snowmachine-or-snowmobile-whatever-you-call-it-there-s-a/article_5fd98c50-df56-11e4-a289-b3b886d32b2c.html |title=Snowmachine or snowmobile? Whatever you call it, there's a lot riding on it |last=Friedman |first=Sam |date=April 10, 2015 |publisher=Fairbanks Daily Newsminer |access-date=October 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201205955/http://www.newsminer.com/features/outdoors/snowmachine-or-snowmobile-whatever-you-call-it-there-s-a/article_5fd98c50-df56-11e4-a289-b3b886d32b2c.html |archive-date=February 1, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>