Location plans to reconstruct the Haines Highway from Mile 24 (Chilkat River bridge) to the Canadian border are “cast in jello” and not at all final. That was the message Department of Transportation engineers brought to public hearings in Haines and at Mosquito Lake Thursday. 

“This is the location phase of the project,” said DOT location engineer Robert Hungerford. “We want to determine the best corridor for the route.”

Once located, the highway will be reconstructed to meet federal/state standards for a 50 mile per hour road, according to Bob Thomas, a consultant for the state. Those standards would require gentler curves and grades to permit increased road visibility, Thomas said. The road also would be widened to include six-foot shoulders on both sides of the road. 

About 18 people showed up at the Mosquito Lake hearing, and a dozen at the city hall in Haines to examine the proposed changes.

Some residents complained that straightening the road would destroy the scenic character of the road and encourage high speeds. Some said there are very few accidents under present conditions, and that visitors to Alaska want to drive slower to see the scenery.