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APPENDIX J ALASKA HIGHWAY, J . M. Wardle i / P a r t 1 ~ IMPRESSIONS OF THE HIGHWAY I h i s w i l l be a synopsis of o b s e r v a t i o n s and n o t e s taken during an i n s p e c t i o n t$r c a r some s i x weeks ago of over one thousand m i l e s of the road. Bie highway was found* to* be i n much b e t t e r c o n d i t i o n than was a n t i c i p a t e d i n view of v a r i o u s r e p o r t s . This was l a r g e l y due to improvement i n weather conditions and the fact that the contractors had been able to finish up many miles of rough grading. I would say the highway vdll be a good gravel road of a higher standard in grades and alignment than might be expected in view of i t s remote location. I was favourably impressed with the original road section thirty-six feet wide which extends from Dawson Creek to a point north of Fort St. John and stretches of which are also found a t one or two other points where grading on the final location was done 3a s t year. For the balance of the distance a twenty-six foot width i s the objective and during the'inspection widths of road were found to vary from twenty to twenty-six feet # TOiere alignment of lower standard existed i t was usually on sections where, in order to ensure completion this year* the pioneer road had been improved and widened rather than a new road b u i l t on a better location. At the time of the inspection in September, seven hundred and twentyseven miles of road were regarded a,s finished with gravel surfacing to the specification required. Estimated mileage in Canada i s twelve hundred and fifiy-seven miles. The depth of gravel on many sections of road was less than expected and ranged frcm three to six inches and over, jfoere seems no reason why the grading program carjnot be completed t>y November 30th of this year, i f yfall weather conditions are reasonably good, I think Mr. Curtiss £/ mentioned a'few moments ago that he believed the grading had already been completed. Some of the larger bridges cannot be completed this year and v/hich include those over the Tfetsa, Itecing and White Rivers. The bridge over the second crossing*of the I»iard River vdll probably not be completed before January 1944-* The two main problems in the construction of the highway were transportation and drainage; the l a t t e r includes protection frcm floods* treatment of permanently frozen ground and ice troubles. As would be expected with the heavy construction and other traffic, the road i s very dusty during dry weather* During the inspection the dust 1/ Director, Surveys and Engineering Branch, Canadian Department of Mines and B3sources. 2/ U. S. Public Boads Administration* nuisance was very noticeable for the entire mileage covered^ with the exception of the l a s t one hundrtd miles north of VJhitehorse, The scenic value of the highway i s limited* particularly in the southern sections and* there i s better scenery a thousand miles nearer the centres of population Ihis i s no reflection on the highway since i t was primarily built as a militaiy road to connect airports* In the total length of the highway there are many sections of scenic interest, the f i r s t of these being found some fifty-five miles west of Fort Nelson• The great distance to bo traversed, however, i s not justified by the scenic attractions # The large permanent bridges being qonstnicted are f i r s t - c l a s s , with concrete abutments and steel trusses. In two cases a suspension type of superstructure has been adopted. Some of the shorter truss bridges are of wood cons time tion and are also quite satisfactory. The impression given by the smaller drainage structures was not so favourable. Several trestle bridges were being constructed over streams of high velocity during flood by placing posts on mud s i l l s and i t i s thought seme of the bents will be washed out. In a t l e a s t two cases high approach f i l l s have restricted the river channel and will be subject to damage unless there i s some protection work above them, Ihere seemed a lack of adequate side ditching and cross drainage. The lade of culverts or small bridges was particularly noticesable in the Muncho Lake area where the road crossed alluvial fans of gravel. Apparently the intention hare was to observe the f i r s t runoff and judge f rom i t whore openings should be placed in the road grade. Our practice in Canada in similar circumstances i s to place largo culverts or simple bridges a t frequent intervals in the hope that the water vdll find i t s way through some of these without any damage to the grade. Sections of the road along certain streams, such as the Ibad and Ifetsa Rivers, are low in relation to the stream bod and there i s a possibility that the stream could change i t s channel during flood and cause considerable damage, Those remarks are not intended as a reflection on the judgnont of any of the Engineer^ on the project but merely summarize the impressions that were given from the construction standpoint. No doubt United States Engineers on the project are fully aware of the weak points of the highway and will adopt remedies as these are required. I t i s considered that next season, 1944* will be an important one in this respect as i t will reveal the troublesome points along the road. I t will likely be a c r i t i c a l year so far as the type of construction and location of the road are concernedi Ihere has been considerable speculation on the type of construction followed in'the frozen ground area and where muskeg and gumbp soil are encountered, Whore the natural cover has bqen disturbed and deep ditches excavated on each side of the road, i t i s thought considerable settlement and breakdovm of the road surfaco will take place until a new permanent frost line (permafrost) i s establi?hed# -3 - On the inspection trip a point beyond the TOiite River crossing, and 276 miles northwest of Whitehorse, "was reached this being the end of the passable road a t that time* Construction through virgin muskeg countiy *was under v*ay with a tractor pushing down trees along the right of way to act as corduroy and then covering these vri.th from two to three feet of gravel, the natural ground cover being la f t undisturbed. In this section peimanenULy froj&en ground was found from eighteen to thirty inches below the surface. I t -was thought that one more step in this procedure might be advisable and that i s the placing of a layer of clay j u s t under the surface of the road. The purpose of this would be to seal the road grade so that rain falling in the open season would not percolate through the grade to the permanent ice surfece and cause thawing and settlement. The question has been raised as to whether the section of road northwest of Whitohorse should not be relocated so that the bad muskey areas would be avoided and better material for road construction encountered* Any major revision in this respect would involve the abandoning of from one hundred and forty to two hundred and forty miles of highway on the present route with the construction of some two hundred and thirty or two hundred and ninety miles of new road, depending on what new route ?*as adopted. In view of the great expanse involved in a revision of this magnitude I would say that the responsible authorities will make every effort to maintain the road in i t s present location. As soon as a highway i s completed maintenance operations must begin and already sections of the Alaska Military Highway have reached this stage. I t i s believed maintenance plans would benefit if meteorological stations could be established a t future maintenance camps between the airports. Ihese would particularly record temperatures and precipitation and would be a guide as to the type of gravel aggregate best suited in each d i s t r i c t for surfaces. I think Mr. J« C, Hettie mentioned in a preliminaiy report on maintenance operations that $500 per mile per year might be a minimum figure. I an inclined to think this i s low. In the case of our good gravel highways in southern British Columbia and Alberta, maintenance costs through mountainous sections have run from $400 to $600 per mile. However in maintaining these highways our basic rate for labourers was only 45 cents per hour and for skilled labourers aid operators of equipment about 65 cents an hour. This i s much lower than the 70 cents or 75 cents rate paid common labour on the Alaska Highway, i f i t can bo obtained, and the rate of $1.00 to $1.25 per hour paid skilled labour. In addition, travelling costs for men for maintenance work in- the south are negligible, while &Long the Alaska Highway the transportation of personnel must be paid to the woik and return. Subsistence costs and freight costs are a l l higher in the north. At the present time I would consequently estimate the cost of routine maintenance a t $1,000 per mile, In addition an average of another $1,000 per mile should be available in the f i r s t year of maintenance (1944) to cover emergency repairs resulting from settlement and breakdown of road surface, washouts, loss of small bridges, etcetera. In subsequent years the l a t t e r figure could likely be greatly reduced. The use of the Alaska Highway by motor cars i s seriously prejudiced* by the relatively poor connecting road between Edmonton and Dawson Creek, On the shortest route the distance i s U1U miles and i t i s only comfortably travelled in good weather. During the spring breakup and in wet we&ther there are many sections where i t i s difficult for cars to travel. One of the longer routes between Edmonton and Damson Creek offers a better established road but the mileage i s considerably greater. The distance between Edmonton and Dawson Creek could be shortened by the construction^ of a new road northwesterly from Edmonton via M&tecourt, Alberta. This would involve some two hundred miles of new construction and about one hundred and sixty miles of reconstruction of existing road south and east from Dawson Creek. By this fairly direct route the d i s tance from Edmonton to Dawson Creek could be reduced by approximately one hundred and twenty-five miles. Part 2 - POST~mR USE OFTOEHIGHWAY This question of the post-war use of the Highway has been mentioned several times under Part 1 above, and has also, of course, been referred to by Mr. Rettie. Dr* Camsell has also suggested that now would be an opportune time to s ay a few words on the "Haines Cut-off" road, and which will affect the post-war use of the highway. Hie l a t t e r road i s 160 miles long and extends northerly from the Port of Baines, Alaska to a junction with the Alaska Highway 100 miles north of Whitehorse* I was able to motor over some fifty miles of the north end of the road in September. I h i l e there was a l o t of worfc to do on this section I was informed that the southerly end was nearing completion. Trucks were beginning to go through between Haines and the main highway. This vdll be a f i r s t class gravel road when completed^ with considerable scenic value*—in fact the whole road vdll be interesting. This, coupled with i t s strategic location in regard to freight transportation and tourist traffic, makes i t a very important road link. In regard to freight haul I would like to give seme comparative cost figures on freight to Whitehorse and vicinity from the south over alternate routes. One route to TNhitehorse i s from Edmonton to pawson Creek by r a i l , and then by the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse. Taking flour as a basic commodiiy and 10 cents per ton mile for truck haul, which, I believe, i s the same figure Mr. Rettie used, the approximate cost per ton frcm Edmonton to Whitehorse i s $101.30. All other routes are cheaper than t h i s . From Edmonton to Prince Rupert by rail, then to Raines by boat, and to Tflhitehorse by truck, the approximate cost i s $44-f80 per ton* ~ 5 - From Edmonton to Prince Rupert by r a i l , then boat to Skagway, and then via White Pass and Yukon Railway to Whitehorse, the freight cost i s $58.80 per ton. From Edmonton to Whitehorse via Vancouver and Haines, and then by truck to Whitehorse, i s $47#30 per ton* From Vancouver to Whitehorse via boat and the "Haines Cut-off1* road, i s 039•00 per ton. These comparative rates indicate that the Alaska Highway i s not in a favourable position to compete in the haul of through freight from the outside to YJhitehorse or points north. I t s use will be more restricted to haul of local freight. Apparently Watson Lake or vicinity i s the northerly limit of economic haul on the Alaska Highway, and unless the time clement i s important, freight from Edmonton, and of course Vancouver, could be transported moro cheaply to a l l points north of Watson Lake by the water and road routes, utilizing the "Haines Cut-off11 road. Hie possibilities of winter maintenance of this road are yet to be fully explored. This road vdll also be a strong competitor to the "White Pass and Yukon Railv/ay in the case of freight now shipped by r a i l from Skagway to Whitehorse. The freight rate per ton on the railway i s §40.00 or more, while from Haines to YJhitohorsG, over 260 miles of road, the truck cost a t 10 cents per ton mile would only bo $26#00, Reference that has boon made to freight transportation i s , of course, very brief. In addition, thero i s the tourist traffic angle, and the construction of the Haines Hoad i s again an important factor. For example, after the war motorists m i l be able to go by car from any part of the west to Prince Rupert by means of the now road being b u i l t between Prince Ruport and Hazolton, B. C. by the Department of Mines and Resources as a national defence project. From Prince Rupert cars could be shipped to Haines by ferxy and from that point YJhitehorse, Fairbanks and Valdoz would a l l be accessible by road. Cars could1 return via the Alaska Highway to Edmonton. The residents of Juneau, Alaska s capital, arc seeking a road, and car ferry or barge connection, vdth Haines, so that they will be able to drive their cars to the mainland. Tho effect of the now road systems in the north on the current routes of transportation over the next two or three years will be vexy interesting. There has not been time for an adequate discussion of possible postwar uses of the Highway but apart from the tourist and s t r i c t l y commercial standpoints, i t s construction vdll facilitate scientific investigations. Among these would be a study of seismic disturbances and trends across the vast northern areas, magnetic observations, including the declination of the compass, and gravity studies. The Highway vdll also permit an extension of meteorological records, and offers a convenient base for seasonal astronomic studies. —oOo—
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