...Except that completion didn't include actual pavement until much much later.
Much, MUCH later!
I've traveled the AlCan seven times now, three times as a driver. The first two times in the 60's, the ONLY pavement was about a one mile stretch at Whitehorse, YT.
The last time I drove it, July '06, the only gravel sections were two road construction zones in BC, one for about five miles, the other about ten miles long.
At times, that old gravel road, treated with Calcium Chloride, was smoother and more pleasant to drive on than some of the pavement and a whole lot easier to maintain. Of course, the "shot rock" they used on most places was sharp as razors and would wear out tires at a crazy rate.
BTW, the AlCan (now called the Alaska Highway) was built primarily by the U.S. Army with assistance from the Canadian army in BC. It was built by two Engineer Battalions, one all white which started at Dawson Creek, BC, and an all-black Battalion which started from Tok, AK. Much like the trans-continental railway, they met in the middle.
You have to go up and see the terrain for yourself to appreciate what a monumental task those men (and women in support roles) did in just a few months.
Ed
