The Americans favored what came to be called Route A, which ran north from Prince George between the Coast Mountains and the Canadian Rockies, because they envisioned feeder routes linking it to Alaska’s southeastern towns. The Canadians championed Route B, which also ran north from Prince George but stayed east of the Rockies to better serve the development of northern British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. Cost estimates for either route had almost doubled since 1929, and when Congressman Magnuson cited national defense considerations as one of the rationales for an appropriation,
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