The governments of the state of Alaska and the Canadian territory of Yukon are collaborating to secure funding for the Shakwak Project, a section of highway that runs from Haines, Alaska, to Beaver Creek, Yukon.
Work on the highway is estimated to cost $259.4 million.
The governments submitted a $25 million funding request to the new U.S. Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) fund. If the application is approved, it will fund the highway from 2019–20 through 2024–25.
Yukon will provide an additional $4.2 million over six years.
Road improvements on the Shakwak Project have been funded through the US – Canada Shakwak Agreement since 1977, but funds will be depleted by the end of the year.
In June, Richard Mostyn, Yukon’s Highway and Public Works Minister, wrote to Alaska Gov. Bill Walker about securing funds for the highway.
“The Alaska Highway is a lifeline for our state,” Marc Luiken, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities commissioner, said. “We are excited about this opportunity to partner with our northern neighbors for mutually beneficial improvements.”
The route is an important piece of our shared infrastructure, Mostyn said.
The amount the governments requested in their application is the maximum grant amount.