Hope Highway

The Hope Highway, also known as the Hope Road Turnoff, is a Forest Highway located in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The highway connects the city of Hope to the Seward Highway, and travels through 17 miles (27 km) of the Chugach National Forest. The road passes the ghost town of Sunrise City and several smaller settlements, remnants of the gold rush that occurred in that area.[3] The highway was created circa 1928 and was designated as Forest Highway 14 by the Federal Highway Administration.

Federal Forest Highway 14 marker

Federal Forest Highway 14

Hope Highway
Hope Road Turnoff
Hope Highway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Alaska DOT&PF and USFS
Length17.861 mi[1] (28.744 km)
Existedc. 1928[2]–present
Major junctions
South end AK-1 in Bruhn-Ray Mine
North endPorcupine Campgrounds, Chugach National Forest in Hope
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughsKenai Peninsula
Highway system

Route description
The "Welcome to Hope" sign, located alongside the highway when it enters Hope

The Hope Highway begins at an intersection with the Seward Highway (AK-1), inside Chugach National Forest.[4] The highway proceeds north, traveling through several miles of pine forest, in a valley in the Kenai Mountain range. The highway passes alongside the Resurrection Creek, which was the source for the settlement of this area.[5] The road proceeds through the abandoned settlement of Sunrise City, which was an old mining town.[3] The roadway proceeds to the Turnagain Arm, and turns in a westward direction. The road continues along the arm for several miles before entering the city of Hope. The highway passes through Hope, intersecting the Old Hope Highway and several smaller streets[6] before exiting the town and reentering the forest. The highway reaches its northern terminus, an access road to the Porcupine Creek Campgrounds.[7][8] The entire length of the Hope Highway is located in the Chugach National Forest.[9][10] No portion of the highway is listed on the National Highway System.[11]

Traffic

Traffic on the Hope Highway is very low, with the highest traffic count being just over 400 vehicles daily, at its intersection with the Seward Highway.[1] The daily average vehicle count for the highway is just under 300.[1][12]

History

The Hope Highway was first established in 1928. The original highway connected the city of Hope to Moose Pass, which then took people to Anchorage via the Alaska Railroad.[2] The Seward Highway was completed in 1951, which allowed travelers to get to Hope without having to transport their vehicle on a train.[2] The highway operated as an improved dirt road until 1952 or 1953,[13] when the highway was finally paved.[2][14] The portion of the highway that connected Hope to the campgrounds was created in the 1970s.[15] Around the same time as the extension of the route, the Hope Highway was rerouted around the city of Hope, with the original path that traveled through the city being renamed the Old Hope Highway.[14][15] In 1982, during the expansion of the Federal Forest Highway System, the Hope Highway was added to the system,[16] due to its location and local importance.[17][18]

Major junctions

The entire highway is in Kenai Peninsula Borough.

Locationmi[19]kmDestinationsNotes
Bruhn-Ray Mine0.000.00 AK-1 (Seward Highway) – Anchorage, Seward, HomerSouthern terminus
​0.240.39Six Mile CreekRest Area
Sunrise City7.5512.15Historic Sunrise CityAlso known as Milepost 8
Hope16.1325.96Palmer Creek RoadAccess to Hope Airport and Resurrection Creek Road
16.5326.60Old Hope HighwayAccess to downtown
17.9528.89Porcupine CampgroundsEnd of state maintenance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Old Hope Highway

The Old Hope Highway is a short, historic route of the Hope Highway located in the city of Hope. The road is just 0.259 miles (0.417 km) long,[1] and connects the Hope Highway to the central region of Hope.[20] The road has an unpaved, gravel surface, and passes several small businesses and homes located in Hope.[20] The road was part of the original Hope Highway, which was created in 1928,[2] and remained part of the highway until circa 1970, when the highway was rerouted around Hope.[15]

References
  1. Witt, Jennifer W. (2010). Annual Traffic Volume Report (PDF) (Report) (2008–2009–2010 ed.). Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. pp. III-33–III-34. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  2. Seward Historic Preservation Commission. "Seward History: Community History and Character". City of Seward. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  3. Staff. "Sunrise, Alaska". Alaska Commerce Department. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  4. United States Forest Service. Chugach National Forest, Kenai Peninsula, Northern Half (PDF) (Map). United States Forest Service. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  5. "Hope on the Kenai Peninsula". Alaska Outdoor Journal Travel Log. p. 2. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  6. Staff. "The City of Hope". City of Hope. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  7. Google (April 18, 2012). "Overview Map of Hope Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  8. Staff. "The Hope Highway". The Milepost. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  9. United States Forest Service. Alaska Forest Highway Index (PDF) (Map). United States Forest Service. Inset A. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  10. Mapquest.com (2004). Discovery Channel Road Atlas (Map). 1 in:143.5 mi. American Map. p. 6. ISBN 0-8416-1787-2.
  11. Federal Highway Administration (April 2006). State of Alaska - National Highway System Maps (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  12. Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (2010). Kenai Peninsula Travel Map (PDF) (Map). Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  13. United States Geological Survey (1953). Map of Alaska (Map). Reston, VA: United States Geological Survey. Seward Inset inset. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  14. United States Geological Survey (1955). Map of Alaska (Map). Reston, VA: United States Geological Survey. Seward Inset inset. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  15. United States Geological Survey (1971). Map of Alaska (Map). Reston, VA: United States Geological Survey. Anchorage Inset inset. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  16. Western Federal Lands Highway Division. "FH-14, Hope Highway" (PDT). Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  17. Western Federal Lands Highway. "Forest Highways: Program History". Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on February 26, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  18. Western Federal Lands Highway. "Forest Highway Designation: Criteria". Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on February 26, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  19. Google (October 23, 2015). "Overview Map of the Hope Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  20. Google (May 23, 2012). "Overview Map of Old Hope Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
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