U.S. Route 702

U.S. Route 702 (US 702) is a proposed U.S. highway which would link a hypothetical Bering Strait Bridge to the U.S. national highway system at US 2 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Despite no solid plans to build a Bering Strait Crossing, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has given the approval on the US 702 number, as a road linking Fairbanks to Nome. At the moment, the Alaska Department of Transportation has no plans to build US 702 in the next ten years.

Route description
While there is no official planned route for US 702, the Alaska Department of Transportation conducted a feasibility study in 2004 regarding the road. The preferred route for US 702 began at the end of a proposed Bering Strait Bridge, and ran southeast into the town of Wales. It would then run along new routing to Tin City, and along the coastline to Brevig Mission. Using an upgraded version of the Winter Trail, the road would cross into Teller via. a causeway, which is partially built due to an existing peninsula across the lagoon. From Teller, US 702 would follow an upgraded Teller-Nome Road into Nome. It would continue to run along the coastline to Koyuk which would allow it to avoid running through the most mountainous terrain in the region. In Koyuk, the road would head east, across mostly mountainous terrain to either Nulato or Kuyukuk along the Yukon River. US 702 would parallel the Yukon River, connecting small communities along it, until it reaches Tanana. It would then follow an upgraded version of the current road to Manley Hot Springs. US 702 would then follow Alaska Route 2 from Manley Hot Springs to Fairbanks.

History
A road linking Nome and Fairbanks has been suggested at various times, as early as 1957. However, the political debate has heightened since 2004 when the State of Alaska began a feasibility study for such a route in coordination with a potential Bering Strait Bridge. A detailed cost investigation, funded by the state government found that the road would potentially cost up to $5 million per mile or a total of $2.7 billion. Despite this, Alaska applied for the corridor to receive a U.S. route number from AASHTO in 2005, and the corridor was given the US 702 number. AASHTO remarked that they were hesitant to give the corridor a U.S. route designation, however, pressure from the federal government was placed, in hopes of eventually linking the United States and Russia. Some advocates have tried to get the portion of the highway from Fairbanks to Manley Hot Springs, which is currently signed as Alaska Route 2, to be designated as US 702. As of 2020, Alaska has not sought to renumber this section of road as US 702.

Controversy
The US 702 routing has caused numerous controversies, mostly regarding the high-price of the road, and the small number of people it would serve. The $2.7 billion road would serve less than 100,000 people west of Fairbanks. This has deemed some opposed to the road, as the road to nowhere. Others believe the road would enact a high cost on the environment and erode the culture of native groups living in the area.

Arctic Territories
The Arctic Territories have been particularly vocal regarding the US 702 designation, as they are the only state or territory in the Continental United States without U.S. highway access. Repeatedly, they have claimed that the federal government should build a U.S. highway from Winnipeg to serve communities along the Hudson Bay area of the territory. In discussions over U.S. highway funding, Arctic Territories Representative Hunter Tootoo has repeatedly opposed any funding for U.S. 702 until a U.S. route is designated in the territory. Additionally, Tootoo led an unsuccessful 19-hour filibuster in 2017, in support of funding a proposed extension of U.S. Route 75 instead of US 702.