EconomyAlaska · May 29, 2026
alaska's highest bridge yet
Alaska is building its highest bridge ever to finally fix the worst traffic crawl on the road to the Kenai.
Daily Alaska staff · May 29, 2026
Construction has ramped back up for the 2026 season on the Cooper Landing Bypass, the Sterling Highway Milepost 45 to 60 project on the Kenai Peninsula that will reroute traffic around the longtime bottleneck through Cooper Landing. The signature piece of the project is the Juneau Creek Bridge, a single-span steel structure that will stand about 285 feet above Juneau Creek Canyon, making it the highest bridge in Alaska and the longest single-span bridge in the state at roughly 928 feet long.
For drivers from Anchorage, the Mat-Su, Soldotna, Kenai, or Homer who use the Sterling Highway to fish the Russian River or reach the southern Kenai Peninsula each summer, the bypass is the project meant to finally end one of Alaska's most notorious traffic jams.
Crews plan to build the bridge span back from the canyon rim, then launch it across the gap. The bridge alone carries an estimated price tag near 150 million dollars.
The wider bypass project began in 2021 and is not expected to open to traffic until around 2032. The project still needs hundreds of millions of dollars more in funding before it can be completed.
In this story
Questions people ask
where is cooper landing bypass being built alaska
On the Kenai Peninsula, rerouting the Sterling Highway around Cooper Landing between Milepost 45 and 60.
how tall is juneau creek bridge new alaska
About 285 feet above the canyon and roughly 928 feet long, making it Alaska's highest and longest single-span bridge. It'll change your drive on the way to the Kenai.
how much does juneau creek bridge cost
The bridge alone is estimated near 150 million dollars.
when does cooper landing bypass open traffic
Not until around 2032, and the full project still needs hundreds of millions more in funding.
Evidence
Sources
Claims and where they come from
- The Juneau Creek Bridge will be about 285 feet above the canyon, making it the highest bridge in Alaska. · kbbi.org
- The bridge will be roughly 928 feet long, the longest single-span bridge in Alaska. · kbbi.org
- The bridge alone carries an estimated price tag near 150 million dollars. · kbbi.org
- The wider Cooper Landing Bypass began in 2021 and is not expected to open until around 2032. · kbbi.org
Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing. How we use AI →