ABSTRACT
Fairbanks had its share of gold in the streets, quite literally, as a fleet of shiny, new yellow trucks emblazoned with the emblem of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company descended upon the town. Traffic in Fairbanks is more closely related to quality of life than in many small towns because, despite its image as a frontier town, Fairbanks has severe air quality problems. The automobile has been labeled the worst source of pollution in Fairbanks because, "it moves about, is concentrated where people concentrate, discharges essentially at ground level, and, as well as water vapor, it contains products which are health hazards." Safety problems and state responsibility for road maintenance were focused on the 80-mile stretch of partially-paved, 28-foot wide road north of Fairbanks from Fox to Livengood, known as the Elliott Highway. The trucking industry became to the Fairbanks business community a symbol of the wealth and success brought about by the trans Alaska oil pipeline construction project.
