Page 19 - Watson Lake Guide

Faro Town-Home & Vacation Rentals
Want a spacious home away from home?
We have three fully furnished, 3-bedroom, 1-bath
town-homes in the unique town of Faro.
Perfect for your getaway!
Located
in Faro,
“Yukon’s
best kept
secret!”
1-855-994-FARO (3276) OR 1-587-438-5111
[email protected] • farovacationrentals.com
137 Dawson Drive, Faro, Yukon • By reservation only
THE ALASKA HIGHWAY: AN ENGINEERING MARVEL
HISTORIC CONSTRUCTION
In 1942, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
undertook a monumental task to create
an overland supply line to Alaska. Now, 82
years later, the Alaska Highway remains a
central transportation corridor in addition to
being a tourist destination.
CHALLENGING CONSTRUCTION
Built by nearly 16,000 soldiers and civilians,
many unfamiliar with northern conditions,
the highway spanned 2,288 km (1,422
mi) through rugged wilderness from the
Canadian Rockies to Alaska's Richardson
Highway. Despite harsh challenges,
including mountainous terrain and harsh
weather, construction claimed thirty lives
but finished in under nine months amid
WWII invasion fears following Pearl Harbour.
EVOLUTION OVER TIME
The muddy single-lane track could only be
travelled by heavy-duty vehicles, and the
hills had grades as steep as 25 percent.
Today, the highway is almost entirely paved,
and the steepest hill is a ten percent grade
(at Steamboat Mountain) as the road was
rerouted and straightened over the years,
causing current mile markers to differ from
historical milestones.
MODERN TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
Today’s Alaska Highway offers a paved two-
lane highway which people can travel with
confidence year-round in relative comfort
and safety. Most twists and turns have been
replaced, and the highway is now shorter by
about 66 km or 41 miles.
17