FFY25-26 tanana ICE road

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded $150,000 under the Highway Planning and Construction program (CFDA 20.205) to the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities on September 16, 2025, to construct an approximately 5-mile ice road and ice bridge connecting the village of Tanana to the Tanana Highway terminus. The project spans 8,606.64 meters across the Yukon River and surrounding sandbars, beginning at Mission Hill Landing and extending east along Mission Island to Six Mile Island and the Tanana Highway landing. Upon completion, this infrastructure will enable year-round vehicle access from Tanana to the Elliott Highway at Manley Hot Springs and provide connectivity to Fairbanks and neighboring villages.

The ice road construction project is scheduled for completion by December 31, 2026, and represents critical transportation infrastructure for Alaska's remote communities. The award includes state and local in-kind match contributions, with project design funded through state resources. This infrastructure investment aligns with the Highway Planning and Construction program's emphasis on highway preservation and improvement across diverse geographic regions, particularly supporting multimodal connectivity and access for isolated rural communities in Alaska's challenging landscape.

Project description

Approximately 5 mile ICE road/ICE bridge beginning 1/4 of a mile above the mission hill landing on the beach at 65+ 10'26'N-151*59'35'W, going straight across the yukon river 0.4 mile to the mission island sandbar at 65+10'06'N-151+59'15'W, and continues east along the mission island sandbar to the yukon river south bank and around the lower point on the outside of six mile island, up around the upper point of six mile island up to the tanana highway landing at 65DEG11'50'N 151DEG50'20'W. A total of 8606.64 meters. This will connectthe village of tanana on the north bank of the yukon river, with the terminus of the tanana highway that is on the south bank of the yukon river. This connection will allow travelers to use the tanana highway to connect to the elliot highway in manley hot springs and drive to fairbanks as well as other villages. This project was designed with state funds. In-kind match is reflected as cash match in fhwa's fmis system, and local in-kind in alaska's iris accounting system.