The U.S. Forest Service has finished rebuilding 23 miles of road on Prince of Wales Island, speeding travel between Whale Pass and Thorne Bay.
The highway, Forest Highway 43, had included miles of one-lane gravel travel, and it required four hours to travel between the two towns. The single-lane gravel road has been replaced with a two-lane paved highway, halving travel time, the Forest Service stated in a Wednesday email. The road also accesses Naukati.
The highway project also paid for construction of a power transmission line to Naukati, allowing hydroelectricity to be delivered to the town.
