QC»C0CCO
0 0 O 0 • 0
9 * ft e > 4 ft *
a • c G © 0
POSTOFFICE NEWSLETTERS
Effective September 289 19^2? your
nearest Civil Service Information Office
will be ANCHORAGE? ALASKA0 Civil Service
job listings will no longer be at your Glenn
alien Postoffice nor information pertaining
to Civil Service jobs. This cuts down bn
some of the added work now handled for other
agencies by your Postmaster^ Anyone in need
of form 57 may still obtain same as long as •
present stock lastsc
STATE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS NEWS RELEASE
The new Anchorage-Fairbariks Highway*
while not putting Mt, McKinley. National ^ ' •
Park in Anchorage1s hip pocket ; will at ?
least cut the driving distance from Alaska’s
largest city to the famous wildlife park
by 165 miles, *
More* importantly? the new highway will
provide an alternative route for tourists$
many of whom bypass Anchorage, by not de-*
siring to take the :?great circle route'1
through Glennallen and Raxson.
The latest figures released by the
Alaska Department of Highways list the pro
posed mileage—when the. railbelt route is
completed—from Anchorage to Mt„ McKinley
Station as 252 miles. The present route
travelers use to drive to, the park covers
nearly 420 miles^
To Fairbanks by the new route brings
the total mileage between the ke’y citie"
of Central Alaska to 575 miles. The pre
sent mileage is 441*2 from city cen-,
ter to city centerc - : \ * 1
A saving of 65 miles would likely pro- ',
vide lower trucking freight rates for the
interior on supplies roving through Anchor- i
age* Conversely? the shorter route could
provide more business for the deep water
Port of Anchorage for supplies destined to
Fairbanks and beyondc.
Work on the new " r>—^res*-^"
l^apidly? Highway .^....--.^lais.. say, Ad the
present time it is possible to drive from
Anchorage to Montana Creek, and before tho
season ends the road will be extended to
Sunshine» . .Prom .the north$ travelers out
of'Fairbanks.are,able to drive to Rexy 20
miles • south, of. IJen^na, although a ferry is
still • needed, in. thq.. summertime to cross the
Tanana River at Nenanac A contract for c
construction of a bridge to replace this
ferry will probably be awarded this fallo
Because of the tremendous ice flows
that sweep down the Tananay the proposed
bridge will require a clear span of more
than 50Q feet? a major structure anywhere0
Piers to withstand these severe forces
would be too costly to build9 according to
C.P# Smith, chief bridge engineer,,
Construction? which is scheduled to
begir this winterf will take place immed
iately upstream' from the tripod that sig
nals the breakup of the Tanana ice each
spring and determines the winner of the
. Penana Ice Classic^ Despite speculation
throughout the state that this construction
may have an effect on the time of breakupP
aighway engineers say that the work will
lot measurably affect the time,.
• ' Meanwhilef.several other bridges are
currently under construction along the
route* Five bridges between Willow and
Sunshine comprise a major dollar portion
}f that 21-mile stretch of road; The brid
ges are being built on the eye loops of f
- four creeks and the Kashwi tna River* New
channels are excavated and* when the spans
ire finished, the streams diverted to flow
under the bridges^
" The bridges are being constructed in
sequence; that is, they are all at varying
stages of construction.. T>si ^onth, pre
; stressed girders were placed across the
pilings of Sheep Creek, the first be advance
to this stage, M-B Contracting Co*? the
•contractor, hopes to finish all five bridges
by the end of this season^
The .contractor began last winter by
setting up a camp on Sheep Creek, and chip*
ning all materials'necessary for the project
oy railroad to the site^ All of the con
crete 'girders are poured and post-tensioned
at the site* Meanwhile, the read is near
ing completion to Sheep Creek and each weslb