Localized erosion due to the spring melt has prompted the City of Whitehorse to close portions of the airport area trails, according to an April 10 notice from the city.
The city has temporarily closed parts of the East Airport Access Road Trail, including small connector trails in the area. The trail closure area runs along the escarpment, parallel to 5th Avenue, according to a map attached to the notice.
On the morning of April 10, ahead of the city’s notice, resident Lewis Rifkind posted to Facebook photos of signs and barricades blocking off the trails.
“Escarpment unstable,” reads a warning sign.
“Keep away.”
The notice states the city decided to close those trails to protect users.
The Black Street stairs are staying open in the meantime, per the notice.
The city is using a slope scanner, regular inspections by engineers, drone surveys and more to actively monitor the escarpment in order to help manage water seepage and potential slides.
The notice cautions of possible changes to trail status and traffic flow as monitoring goes on.
The City of Whitehorse recently gave its first briefing of the season regarding the Robert Service Way escarpment landslide risk.
The section of the city’s escarpment near the south access way has had multiple landslides over the past years, including most notably in 2022 and 2023 which blocked off vehicular and pedestrian access.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
