Historical use of the Izembek Isthmus and Kinzarof Lagoon tidelands by King Cove residents is documented. Before Izembek's designation as a federal protected area, public warming cabins were built along traveled routes, and family cabins supported subsistence activities.
Fort Randall, later Thornbrough Air Force Base, is established in Cold Bay. Air navigation installations built to support the base, some still operational today, expanded the local transportation system. King Cove residents provided local labor for the construction.
The Izembek Isthmus is used for military purposes, including defense installations, artillery ranges, and munitions disposal.
The U.S. Air Force conducts decontamination work at the former Thornbrough Air Force Base artillery range, covering approximately 52,225 acres (about 81 square miles).
The Izembek National Wildlife Range is established in December 1960 as "a refuge, breeding ground, and management area for all forms of wildlife." Planning records from the period acknowledge existing jeep and foot traffic across the Isthmus between Cold Bay and King Cove, and note the importance of continued local access and subsistence use in and around Kinzarof Lagoon.
The Cold Bay Airport is conveyed to the State of Alaska.
With the passage of ANILCA, the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is established. Over the following years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service restricted motorized vehicle use within the refuge through regulation, designated routes on the Cold Bay side of the Isthmus, public information, and enforcement, and removed historical cabins on the Isthmus.
Congress considers the King Cove Health and Safety Act, which would grant a 100-foot-wide right-of-way for a single-lane gravel road across the Izembek Isthmus. The Senate passes a version of the bill, but the House does not act on it.
Congress approves a $37.5 million compromise package in the FY1999 Consolidated Appropriations Bill as an alternative to a road through the refuge. The funding supports improvements to the King Cove health clinic and airstrip, along with a road and hovercraft link to Cold Bay, including an 18-mile road over King Cove Corporation land to the head of Cold Bay near Kinzarof Lagoon (the current end of the road).
Hovercraft service begins between King Cove and Cold Bay.
Congress authorizes a land exchange and a road across the Izembek Isthmus in the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act. The Act requires the acquisition of necessary environmental permits and the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.
The Aleutians East Borough suspends hovercraft service in November, citing higher-than-anticipated costs, lower-than-anticipated revenue, and operational limits related to freezing temperatures, wind, and wave height.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell issues a Record of Decision selecting the "No Action" alternative, halting the land exchange and the associated road project.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke signs a land exchange agreement with King Cove Corporation on January 22, 2018. A federal district court vacates the agreement in March 2019.
Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt signs a new land exchange agreement with KCC. The agreement is challenged in court, where a federal district judge overturns it. On appeal, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit reverses the district court's decision and affirms the legality of the exchange. The 9th Circuit later agrees to rehear the case before an en banc panel.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland withdraws the Department from the 2019 exchange agreement in March, and the 9th Circuit case is dismissed as moot. In May, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service begins a new environmental review with a notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for a potential land exchange.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service releases a Draft SEIS in November that includes a new land exchange alternative, and opens a public comment period with in-person and virtual public meetings.
Executive Order 14153 directs federal agencies to expedite development of the King Cove to Cold Bay road corridor, putting federal policy behind the connection the community has sought for generations.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signs the land exchange, opening a pathway to a single-lane gravel road through the refuge. In return, the King Cove Corporation conveys roughly 1,739 acres of high-value conservation land to the refuge and relinquishes rights to additional acreage, producing a net gain for the refuge system.
Unlike the prior land exchange agreements, the 2025 Land Exchange actually resulted in the ownership of the land at issue being exchanged. The decision was challenged in federal court, and the State of Alaska stepped in to assist the federal government and King Cove Corporation to defend the Land Exchange and continue advocating for a project which has been a priority for decades.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Clean Water Act Section 404 individual permit to Alaska DOT&PF for the King Cove to Cold Bay Road. The permit followed the Corps' environmental review of the road corridor.
Preparation for construction moved forward in King Cove, with an emphasis on local participation. More than 20 King Cove residents completed safety training and earned DOT&PF certificates, and five additional community members earned their Class A commercial driver's licenses to support construction. Materials and equipment were staged in King Cove ahead of the work season.
Construction began on the first approximately three miles of road, located on King Cove Corporation land. This state-funded work is the first phase of the King Cove to Cold Bay Road. Check the Project Updates page for recent updates.
