Alaska plans long ice roads in Northwest Alaska to allow airport construction at remote town

The Noatak River in Noatak is seen on Jan. 7, 2026, in this photo published by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. (Handout photo)

By James Brooks

Alaska Beacon

How do you build a new airport in Arctic Alaska? 

First, lay down an ice road. 

Actually, three of them.

As the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities prepares to build a new airport for the Northwest Alaska town of Noatak, the agency says it will need to build a 67-mile ice road for three consecutive winters in order to transport supplies.

The department laid out its plans in a public notice published Tuesday. They call for a route that would connect the DeLong Mountain Transportation System — a permanent road — to Noatak between October and March.

“The route is expected to be 25’ to 30’ wide with some sections being as wide as 50’. The proposed route minimizes stream crossings and would use ice bridge construction to cross five channels, including Kiyak Creek,” the department wrote. “The proposed route requires no ground disturbance or permanent cut and fill on slopes and would be safe for proposed equipment travel.”

Noatak’s existing airport is located next to its namesake river, and erosion threatens the runway and other critical infrastructure. 

“The continued erosion jeopardizes the existing airport and therefore also jeopardizes the Noatak community which relies on safe and reliable air transportation service,” the department wrote in its plan.

If the ice roads are approved this spring, the first would be built in early winter 2026, something a department official called an “admittedly ambitious construction goal.” 

The current airport is to the east of Noatak, between the town and the river. The new airport, which will be to the west of Noatak, is expected to be finished in 2028.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.