The Whittier portal of the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. 05/13/23
Portage Glacier Highway branches east from SR 1 (Seward Highway) near Portage. Paralleling Portage Creek, the two lane arterial travels 5.13 miles to become Whittier Access Road by Portage Lake. Whittier Access Road continues 4.26 miles to the city of Whittier via the tolled Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel across Maynard Mountain. 2.5 miles long, the one-way tunnel descends 70 feet from Bear Valley to Whittier.1
The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel opened as the Portage-Whittier railroad tunnel on November 20, 1942. Construction crews worked from both ends of the 13,000 foot long bore, meeting in the middle well ahead of schedule. Costing $5.3 million to build, the tunnel cut 60 miles off the supply line to the Interior from Prince William Sound. Completion of the tunnel also resulted in the establishment of the port city on Whittier Canal.2
Anton Anderson was a former mayor of Anchorage. He was an engineer for the U.S. Army District Engineer charged with overseeing the project to construct he Portage-Whittier tunnel. Anderson previously served the Alaska Engineering Commission starting in 1917. He surveyed the town site of Anchorage. He also surveyed and engineered a substantial amount of the Alaska Railroad route, eventually becoming chief engineer for the railroad.3
Work building Whittier Access Road got underway in March 1997. Costing around $5 million, the first phase of construction built two miles of new road between the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Glacier and the future staging area for the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. The road passes by Portage Lake and includes a 525 foot long tunnel, built due to stability issues with the lake shore supporting fill.4
An $80 million project converted the railroad tunnel into a multi use access road for vehicles. Work included building the staging areas that separates queues for cars, buses and commercial vehicles. Traffic signals operate to space cars around 2.5 seconds apart and buses once every 45 seconds. A-framed portals were added on each side, with the one at Whittier built to withstand avalanches. A concrete surface was set in 7 foot panels between the rails.1
Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel opened to vehicles on June 7, 20001 after 21 months of construction.5 The state released a toll schedule in February 2000. Proposed tolls ranged from $15 for cars, vans and pickup trucks and $40 for RV's, commercial trucks and vehicles towing trailers. Tolling of the tunnel commenced on April 1, 2001.6
State planners initially projected that the tunnel would boost the number of annual visitors to Whittier from around 100,000 to 650,000 per year. Instead the first year brought between 130,000 and 150,000 people to the port city, and only around 67,000 in the second year of operation. The high cost of the toll was cited as a deterrent for visitors, so the state reduced the rates to $12 for cars and pick up trucks and $20 for RV's and vehicles pulling boats. A season pass was also introduced. The new rates went into effect on June 8, 2002.7
Whittier lies at the west end of Passage Canal surrounded by the Chugach Mountains. Straddling the west end of the bay, Camp Road connects the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel with the city. Bush Banks, Emerald Island and Trinity Point appear along Passage Canal to the east. 05/13/23
The city of Whittier began as the Army Port of Whittier built during World War II. The site was chosen in 1941 when an immediate need arose for ice-free port facilities to supply the Alaskan Defense Command's array of Air Force and Army bases. The port was modernized after the war for military shipping to Alaska. Army construction in 1954 built the Buckner Building, the "city under one roof." Designed to house 1,000 troops, the six story building included many amenities such as a theater, television studio, restaurants, etc. Additionally Whittier was home to the highest apartment building in the state, the 14 story Hodges Building that housed over 600 military and civilian families.8,9
Following $50 million in total investments, the Army abandoned the Port of Whittier in Summer 1960. The port was declared excess, and by 1961, the Army advertised the leasing of all or part of the port.8,11

Whittier Access Road east crosses Portage Creek and enters Portage Lake Tunnel south of Begich Peak.
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Whittier Access Road emerges from the Portage Lake Tunnel in Bear Valley ahead of a turnout along Portage Lake and the toll booth for the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.
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Whittier Access Road enters Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel beyond a signalized staging area.
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The A-framed portals were constructed during 1998-2000 work converting the tunnel for vehicular use.
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- "Tunnel Ready to Go - Whittier Facility Nation's Largest." Anchorage Daily News (AK), May 23, 2000.
- "Railroad Tunnel is Opened." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK), November 23, 1942.
- "On The Inside - A Boring Incident." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK), March 19, 1960.
- "Work on Whittier Route Set to Begin in March." Anchorage Daily News (AK), December 26, 1996.
- "June 4: Voice of the (Anchorage) Times on opening the road to Whittier:" Peninsula Clarion, The (Kenai, AK) Section: News, June 5, 2000.
- "Whittier Tunnel Free This Year; State Sets 10-Foot Width Limit - Toll of $15 Per Car, $40 Per Motorhome Proposed for April 2001." Anchorage Daily News (AK), February 19, 2000.
- "Whittier tunnel fees fall - State hopes lower prices will increase traffic." Anchorage Daily News (AK), May 11, 2002.
- "Whittier Up for Lease." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK), July 13, 1961.
- "Whittier is Called 'Fantastic'." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK), February 15, 1960.
- "Bid Opening on Whittier Building Set." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK), April 20, 1954.
- "Army May Leave Whittier Within Coming Two Weeks." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK), July 11, 1960.
- Virtual Drive, Whittier Tunnel, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska. https://dot.alaska.gov/ creg/whittiertunnel/.
- FAQs, Whittier Tunnel, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska. https://dot.alaska.gov/creg/ whittiertunnel/faq.shtml#time.
Photo Credits:
05/13/23 by AARoads
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State Route 1 - Sterling Hwy / Seward Hwy / Glenn Hwy
Page Updated 06-21-2023.