Sterling Highway

The Sterling Highway is part of Alaska Route 1, running from Tern Lake Junction on the Seward Highway to Homer on the southern Kenai Peninsula. Construction began in 1946, it opened to traffic in winter 1950 and it was fully paved in 1958.[1]

Route

The highway runs south from Tern Lake Junction, about 90 miles south of Anchorage, to Homer at the tip of the Homer Spit, where a ferry terminal connects to the Alaska Marine Highway. It runs west paralleling the Kenai River to Soldotna, where the Kenai Spur Highway leaves at mile 75, then turns south along the eastern shore of Cook Inlet. The source gives 132 miles in its infobox and 138 miles in its text without reconciling them.[1]

History

Construction began in 1946 to link the Kenai Peninsula’s farming area with Seward. The road is named for Hawley W. Sterling, an Alaska Road Commission engineer who served as assistant chief engineer from 1932 until his death in 1948. It opened to traffic in winter 1950, when freezing temperatures allowed travel over the unfinished surface, needed grading and gravel before summer traffic in 1951 and was fully paved in 1958.[1]

Features

Anchor Point, a census-designated place with a 2020 population of 2,105, is the westernmost point in the North American highway system. The route serves the Chugach National Forest, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Kenai, Funny and Russian rivers. Mileposts begin at 37, continuing from the Seward Highway’s zero marker in Seward.[1]

FAQs

Where does the Sterling Highway go? From Tern Lake Junction to Homer.

Who is it named for? Hawley W. Sterling, an Alaska Road Commission engineer.

When was it paved? 1958.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Sterling Highway

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 14, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue