It was built by the Canadian Army in 1949, connecting the village of Atlin, British Columbia, with the Tagish Road just one mile west of the Alaska Highway at historic mile 866 (Jakes Corner).

section, which has no official highway number, was narrow, winding, with some less-than-optimum grades.

[citation needed] By 2007, reconstruction had started on the Yukon section once again.

By spring 2014, only 5 km of road, including two small bridges, remained to be reconstructed.

As of October 2017, both the Yukon and the British Columbia portions of the Atlin Road are in very good condition, with very few potholes.