February 4, 2026
(Anchorage, AK) – The State of Alaska has filed three new motions to intervene in support of the King Cove Road project. In an expedited briefing schedule, the court can either green-light or halt planned construction of a road between King Cove and Cold Bay.
King Cove and Cold Bay are only 18 miles apart, yet there is no road connecting them. King Cove’s roughly 750 residents must rely on dangerous air or sea travel to reach Cold Bay’s airport, which houses Alaska’s fourth-largest paved civilian runway. In the Aleutian Islands, where severe weather is common, this lack of safe road access to Cold Bay has delayed medical evacuations and led to preventable injuries and deaths.
"This land swap represents a significant win for our State," said Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox. "Alaskans want to protect our lands, and we also want to protect Alaskans. This is an example of us doing both. More land is being locally managed and preserved, and now we can start a project that can save lives."
On Oct. 21, 2025, The United States Department of the Interior and the King Cove Corporation (KCC), entered into an Agreement for the Exchange of Lands. This Exchange Agreement facilitated the linkage of these two communities by exchanging certain lands from the Federal Government to KCC which are necessary for the building of a 19-mile, single-lane, gravel road through the Izembek Refuge, connecting the two communities.
The State has now moved to intervene in three lawsuits in federal court. Plaintiffs in these cases challenge the legality of the Exchange Agreement and oppose the road, alleging it will cause widespread environmental impacts. The State is seeking to intervene in these cases to ensure that residents of King Cove can soon access emergency care and critical resources through a road allowing access between King Cove and Cold Bay.
Potential agreements concerning the road have been considered and debated for decades, but last year's Land Exchange Agreement is now being implemented, and the State has requested the final necessary permits from the US Army Corps of Engineers. The State commends and supports the impacted local communities who have advocated for this road that is essential to improved health and safety outcomes and has the support of local subsistence users as well.
“This is a long-awaited project on which Alaskans have come together,” said Chief Assistant Attorney General Sean Lynch “and together we will see it through to completion.”
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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.
