Photo by Dan Davidson
TRANSPORTATION MODE CHANGES – Travellers await a helicopter ride to the Dawson City Airport on Thursday.
Photo by Dan Davidson
UNPLANNED SLIDESHOW – This aerial photo shows five slides of various sizes along the North Klondike Highway near Rock Creek. Photo courtesy GOVERNMENT OF YUKON
Mudslides sever access to Dawson City
Mudslides and slope instability have closed two stretches of the North Klondike Highway south of Dawson.
DAWSON CITY – Mudslides and slope instability have closed two stretches of the North Klondike Highway south of Dawson.
The first section is between km 666 and 674, approximately 10 km south of the Dempster Highway cut-off.
That area was still drivable at about 4 p.m. Thursday, but had been closed by 5 p.m. It remained closed this morning.
The second section is between Henderson’s Corner and the road to Rock Creek, km 693-696.
It was not safe by 4:30 p.m. Thursday and remained unsafe at 9:00 this morning.
A dozen or more vehicles, containing about 40 people, were stranded at the southwest end of Henderson’s Corner for several hours while Department of Highways and Public Works crews tried to clear the slide, which continued to slough onto the road.
The government made arrangements with Fireweed Helicopters to provide five-minute flights from there to the Dawson City Airport.
The chopper could take up to five stranded travellers and assorted essential belongings at a time.
The crowd was a mix of locals trying to get home, people travelling to Dawson for business or pleasure, and a family from Singapore hoping to see the Northern Lights.
The return flights brought residents back from town who needed to get home.
An update released at 9:00 this morning did not sound hopeful as far as reopening the road was concerned.
“Overnight, there were additional landslides in these areas,” it said.
“Engineers are on-site assessing the situation and creating a plan to clear the highway. At this time, we still do not know when the highway will re-open.
“Safety is our top priority. The slope remains unstable, and we ask that you avoid travel in this area.”
Mudslides have comprised major news stories in the territory and in northern B.C. this year.
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Comments (13)
Up 6 Down 3
Oya on Sep 27, 2022 at 11:19 am
From the pics I saw of the numerous slides near Dawson, and taking into consideration the continuing rains, the height of that bank, and the amount of potential material that could still come down, I would be very afraid to travel that section of road now.
While I agree the City of Whitehorse took way too long to assess and re-open the slide area, and while I do agree COMPLETELY with Nadine and her no-cost assessment of the continuing risk, I guess we should take some comfort in knowing that if someone dies in a future slide in the same area, the CoW has an engineer they can sue to help pay the legal costs. (Sarcasm, btw).
I, for one, never feel safe walking the Millenium Trail under that bank anymore. The fact the area that actually slid was not as steep as other spots adjacent to the slide area causes me great concern. Has the CoW considered shot-rock? (I think that's what they call it when they coat the entire hillside in concrete - feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)
The Dawson bank appears even steeper and with the amount of rain over the summer, and still coming down, I'd be speeding through that area as fast as I could.
I wonder what the YG engineers say about it? Are economics trumping safety to get the highway re-opened asap?
Be safe everyone. Do NOT count on your government(s) to protect you or keep you safe. Their mandate(s) is/are to avoid liability - at all costs.
Whitehorse Star... please report on the YG (or other) engineers' assessments of the continuing risks.
Up 8 Down 3
Groucho d'North on Sep 26, 2022 at 10:26 am
One has to assume there is an index of various potential risks and failures throughout the territory that emergency response services would be called to deal with. Is anybody looking ahead in the script for what may be just over the horizon? Ir seems there have been too many suprises lately.
Up 14 Down 4
Nathan Living on Sep 25, 2022 at 1:03 pm
I agree with Nadine's perspective on the ever present danger of the clay cliffs along Robert Service Way.
I wish our mayor and virtual signaling council will address this issue soon. A heavy rainfall event or earthquake could result in a massive slide. People using or living in the area are very vulnerable.
Let's deal with basic safety and basic civic services rather than the Canada Winter Games.
Up 31 Down 7
Nadine on Sep 25, 2022 at 9:00 am
The slide at Robert Service is still continuing, the potential worst part of the slide area has no wall. The spruce tree that is 30’ tall on a 30 degree angle is the next road blockage. Between the Robert Service and the construction on 2 mile, it seems like the only way to downtown, will soon be a chopper ride.
Up 27 Down 1
Groucho d'North on Sep 24, 2022 at 2:10 pm
Nature is a Mother
Up 7 Down 14
Wilf Carter on Sep 24, 2022 at 10:24 am
There has to be mitigation to slide areas like Whitehorse now.
Up 18 Down 15
Rose on Sep 24, 2022 at 9:52 am
Why can’t the government hire some contractors to help freeing at least one way lane?
Up 39 Down 18
Josey Wales on Sep 24, 2022 at 6:28 am
Well the folks effected should find GREAT solace in the fact that our Whitehorse Civic Wizards are not in a position to make decisions on this.
If they were, ya might be able to get into Whitehorse for some very last minute Christmas shopping
...look forward to the wails of climate change by the eco-lemmings.
Up 36 Down 10
Dave on Sep 24, 2022 at 5:28 am
Simba, you made me choke on my morning coffee. LOL You are right as I’ll bet the professional hand wringers at COW will receive a lesson in how to get things done.
Up 40 Down 15
Nathan Living on Sep 23, 2022 at 7:35 pm
I listened to the radio interview by the author.
It was honestly very painful to hear what an ordeal it seemed to be.
A free helicopter ride and no need to sleep overnight in a vehicle! But of course personal luggage was restricted, this seemed so so sad.
With all the recent government generosity I think people's entitlement will increase exponentially and people will come to expect free helicopter rides, free daycare, low taxes and and many perks we have not even dreamed about. And of course our Yukon tax base covers very little of it, it comes from our southern neighbours.
Up 27 Down 22
WTF?! on Sep 23, 2022 at 6:15 pm
I can’t wait to see how this can be blamed on the Liberals…
Up 16 Down 19
bonanzajoe on Sep 23, 2022 at 5:27 pm
Result of man's screwing around with nature. They're calling it climate change. If nature could talk, it would say, "keep your hands off me - or else".
Up 68 Down 7
Simba on Sep 23, 2022 at 4:11 pm
Don't think it will take 6 weeks for a risk assessment on this incident.