
The freeway along SR 1 (Seward Highway) at Dowling Road south of Midtown in Anchorage, Alaska. 05/10/23
Alaska State Route 1 originates at Coal Point along the Homer Spit extending into Kachemack Bay in the city of Homer. SR 1 follows Homer Spit Road onto Ocean Drive west and Lake Street north around Beluga Lake. Sterling Highway commences along SR 1 west from Lake Street, bypassing the Homer city center to the south.
Alaska State Route 1 Guides
North
Sterling Highway leads SR 1 north 138.05 miles to SR 9 (Seward Highway) beyond Cooper Landing. The route encircles Kenai Peninsula northwest from Homer to Anchor Point, Happy Valley and Ninilchik along Cook Inlet. Diverging from the coast at Clam Gulch, SR 1 passes through Kasilof en route to the city of Soldotna. The intersection with Kenai Spur Highway and Sterling Highway marks the south end of Interstate A3.
Heading east from Soldotna, SR 1 (Sterling Highway) stays north of the Kenai River to Sterling. Continuing east beyond the Seven Lakes, the highway runs between Hideout Hill and the Mystery Hills to rejoin the Kenai River northeast of Skilak Lake. The river and state route traverse areas of Chugach National Forest east to Cooper Landing and the northwestern extent of Kenai Lake. SR 1 converges with the north end of SR 9 (Seward Highway) at a wye intersection by Wrong Mountain.
SR 9 spurs south to Seward while SR 1 overtakes Seward Highway north 88.62 miles to Ingra Street in Anchorage. Seward Highway follows Canyon Creek north to the East Fork of Sixmile Creek in Chugach National Forest. The remote highway loops southward to Granite Creek, which parallels SR 1 northeast to Turnagain Pass. SR 1 lowers 900 feet in elevation from Turnagain Pass to wetland areas around the periphery of Turnagain Arm. The highway turns north at the Portage town site and straddles the Turnagain Arm shoreline to Girdwood, Indian and the Potter Historic Site at Chugach State Park.
Advancing north into Anchorage, SR 1 (Sterling Highway) bypasses a section of Old Seward Highway to the west before shifting onto freeway for 7.5 miles between E 154th Avenue and E 36th Avenue at Midtown. SR 1 overtakes Old Seward Highway beyond E 33rd Avenue. Seward Highway concludes at Chester Creek, where SR 1 separates into a couplet of Ingra Street 1.09 miles northbound and Gamble Street 1.11 miles southbound. The intersections where SR 1 turns between Ingra/Gamble Streets and the pair of E 5th/6th Avenues represents the shared north end of I-A3 and south end of Interstate A1.
1964 map showing SR 1 following the former alignment of Seward Highway north into Anchorage. Gambell Street and 5th Avenue carried both directions of SR 1 with two way traffic.
SR 1 northbound follows E 6th Avenue for 0.43 miles a block south of southbound SR 1 on E 5th Avenue. 5th Avenue passes north of Merrill Field (MRI), extending 1.48 miles along SR 1 to Mountain View Drive where Glenn Highway and the next section of freeway begins. Passing between Fort Richardson and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the limited access section of Glenn Highway leads 34.31 miles northeast to Eagle River, Chugiak and SR 3 (Parks Highway) beyond the Knik River.
Prior to 1965, SR 1 (Glenn Highway) looped east along the Knik River and the north to Butte and Palmer. Renamed to Old Glenn Highway, this 1930s alignment was bypassed by new Glenn Highway to the west.1 The interchange linking SR 1 (Glenn Highway) with SR 3 (Parks Highway) was constructed as part of a $50 million appropriation by U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R) in 2002. A high speed connection links SR 1 north with SR 3 north and SR 3 south with SR 1 south. An at-grade intersection links SR 3 south with SR 1 north.2 A ribbon cutting ceremony for the $47 million project took place at the Matanuska-Susitna Visitor Center on October 8, 2004.3
SR 3 (Parks Highway) is Interstate A-4 traveling west to Wasilla and north to Denali National Park and Fairbanks. SR 1 remains along Glenn Highway northeast from Palmer into the Matanuska Valley en route to Chickaloon. Glenn Highway parallels the Matanuska River south of Anthracite Ridge to Glacier View. The two diverge at Sheep Mountain, where SR 1 shifts northeast to Nelchina by Slide Mountain, Mendeltna and Tolsona.
Glenn Highway was built by the U.S. Army in secret during World War II. Completed by Summer 1942, Army authorities held out on announcing the opening of the highway until November 23, 1942. The route linking Anchorage with Richardson Highway via Palmer was also locally known as the Chickaloon Highway.4
Entering the community of Glenallen from the west, SR 1 (Glenn Highway) next meets SR 4 (Richardson Highway) south to Valdez. SR 4 marks the north end of Glenn Highway, which runs 179.64 miles from Anchorage. SR 1/4 combine north from what was originally a three-wye intersection in Glenallen 14.04 miles to Gakona Junction. Richardson Highway continues north along SR 4 to SR 2 (Alaska Highway) at Delta Junction while SR 1 resumes northeast along Tok Cutoff Highway 122.36 miles from Gakona to Chistochina, Slana, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Mentasta Lake. SR 1 concludes at SR 2 (Alaska Highway) in Tok, where Interstate A1 takes over along Alaska Highway east from the end of I-A2.
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Kenai Spur Highway south at SR 1 (Sterling Highway) in the city of Soldotna. 05/10/23 |
Huffman Road east meets SR 1 (Seward Highway) at a dumbbell interchange in Anchorage. 05/10/23 |
The diamond interchange joining Huffman Road and SR 1 (Sterling Highway) was converted to use roundabouts in 2011. 05/10/23 |
Brayton Drive comprises an east side service road for the freeway along SR 1 (Seward Highway) in Anchorage. 05/10/23 |
Brayton Drive at the northbound entrance ramp for SR 1 (Seward Highway) from O'Malley Road. 05/10/23 |
6th Avenue east at SR 1 south on Gambell Street in Anchorage. 05/13/23 |
SR 1 follows Gambell Street south to Seward Highway and 6th/5th Avenues east to Glenn Highway en route to Palmer and Glenallen. 05/13/23 |
4th Avenue east at Gambell Street outside Downtown Anchorage. Gambell Street becomes part of SR 1/Interstate A3 south at 5th Avenue. 05/09/23 |
6th Avenue east becomes SR 1/Interstate A-1 northbound beyond Ingra Street. 05/10/23 |
N Eagle River Access Road links Old Glenn Highway (former SR 1) with the freeway along SR 1 (Glenn Highway) at the community of Eagle River. 05/07/23 |
The unincorporated community of Nabesna lies 43.2 miles southeast from SR 1 (Tok Cutoff Highway) at the end of Nabesna Road. Nabesna Road represents the north access road to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. 05/07/23 |
Missing shield for SR 1 at Slana and the west end of Nabesna Road. 05/07/23 |
SR 1 (Tok Cutoff Highway) heads north from Slana to SR 2 (Alaska Highway) at Tok and southwest to SR 4 (Richardson Highway) at Gakona. 05/07/23 |
- "Historic Highway - Old Glenn gives motorists a glimpse of Alaska's past." Anchorage Daily News (AK), November 4, 2001.
- "Glenn-Parks Interchange mostly open." Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (Wasilla, AK), August 3, 2004.
- "Interchange Ready for Ribbon Cutting." Anchorage Daily News (AK), October 8, 2004.
- "Anchorage Linked to Richardson." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, November 23, 1942.
Photo Credits:
05/07/23, 05/09/23, 05/10/23, 05/13/23 by AARoads
Connect with:
State Route 2 - Alaska Hwy / Donaldson Hwy / Elliot Hwy
State Route 3 - Parks Highway
State Route 4 - Richardson Highway
State Route 9 - Seward Highway
Walter J. Hickel Parkway - Anchorage
Page Updated 06-20-2023.