The PRA coordinated and supervised road construction in the United States. They worked through contracts with large construction companies – experienced in road building, equipped with the necessary heavy equipment and staffed by people who understood the complexities of the process.
The Corps of Engineers supervised and controlled the construction of the Alaska Highway, but everyone understood that there was a role for the PRA. Initially the Corps of Engineers planned to drive through a rough Pioneer Road and then turn it over to the PRA to upgrade and finish. In practice that division of labor was too simple.
The modus operandi of the Corps was speed – the United States needed a supply road to Alaska and it needed it immediately. That of the PRA and its contractors was methodical. They built roads, step by step, in a pattern established by long experience that resulted in efficiency and quality. The relationship between the PRA and the Corps was testy.
By early August, it was clear that the Army needed help from the PRA to accomplish its mission. Contractors, already in country, diverted resources to help complete sections of the highway in all sectors.
The PRA built the road along the east shore of Marsh Lake from Whitehorse to M’Clintock River and south. They constructed bridges over Teslin River at Johnsons Crossing and Nisutlin River and Nisutlin Bay near Teslin. They also helped construct barracks, warehouses, and water and sewer systems.
