The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has recently purchased land for the proposed new Alaska Public Lands Information Center (APLIC) and Rest Area in Tok. The site, totaling 8.3 acres, is strategically located along the Alaska Highway, 1.3 miles east of the Alaska and Glenn Highway junction. Since March 2000, the Service has been working with Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (Dept of Commerce) and Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) on this interagency project. This easily accessible and attractive facility will welcome approximately 100,000 Alaska Highway travelers each year coming through Tok. Located 90 miles from the Alaska/Canada border, Tok is the first full service community to welcome people driving into Alaska from Canada. The proposed APLIC will provide services to people traveling the Glenn Highway to Anchorage, the Taylor Highway into the Fortymile Country/ Dawson City, Canada or those continuing on the Alaska Highway to Fairbanks. The proposed 9,000 square foot complex includes a 6,800 sq. ft. visitor center with interpretive and informational exhibits, traveler rest area, interpretive trail and parking area. Since its conception, the Tok APLIC project has received tremendous support from the local community and numerous statewide organizations.
The Tok APLIC and Rest Area will serve as a year-round rest and information facility for the cooperating state and federal government agencies. The new interagency visitor center will also work closely with the existing Tok Mainstreet Visitor Center, which is operated seasonally by the Tok Chamber of Commerce. Together, the two centers will create a multifaceted visitor experience for the Borderlands Region and benefit the regional businesses.
ADOT&PF, USFWS, and Dept. of Commerce have been working with an architectural firm in Fairbanks on a building and site design plan that is nearly 80% complete. The next phase will be to have the project added to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Project list for construction funding. USFWS will be responsible for the exhibits and interior furnishings for the Center. Currently the project ranks 3rd on the USFWS construction priority list for the Alaska Region, and in the top 10 of planned National Wildlife Refuge System visitor centers nationwide.
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