Dalton Highway gets its first cell tower

The Dalton Highway is entering the modern era with the addition of its very first wireless tower.

"The haul road is one of the longest roads in America that does not have cell service on it," said Heather Handyside, a spokeswoman for GCI, which built the tower.

The Dalton Highway, nicknamed the "haul road" because of its function as the main artery connecting the North Slope oil fields with the rest of the state, is traveled predominantly by trucks (as many as 250 per day), but also peppered with a handful of tourists and hunters each year.

The road crosses more than 400 miles, including high mountain passes, rolling hills and wide-open tundra.

Historically, drivers along the road could only communicate using satellite phones or Citizens Band radios. They'll still have to use those for most of the trip, but in a 15-mile radius around the community of Coldfoot, they'll now be able to use both voice and data service on their cellphones for the first time.

"The haul road is obviously a critical part of the state's economy and connects us to the North Slope. There's heavy traffic along the road," Handyside said. "(Having service is) really important as both a convenience for travelers on the road but also, potentially, as a public safety issue we can help with."

The tower cost about $500,000, GCI noted, and took the better part of a year to permit and build. It's located near Mile 175 of the highway and its service extends miles in either direction.

It's part of a $30 million investment project GCI is undertaking around the state to increase service in certain areas and expand the overall coverage area of the company.

"We're working on a major project on the Kenai Peninsula to expand our footprint. We're also working throughout the state to upgrade our 2G customers to 3G and 4G, so it's part of an overall effort to improve wireless service throughout Alaska," she said.

As part of the Dalton Highway portion, GCI does plan to construct additional towers along the road over the next 18 months, Handyside said, though she couldn't yet specify where those would be located.

This story first appeared in The Arctic Sounder and is republished here with permission.