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Highway reopens after mudslide

A 10-kilometre section of the Alaska Highway north of Haines Junction reopened to single-lane traffic Aug. 18 after being closed for more than 10 hours due to a mudslide.
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A mudslide covers the Alaska Highway north of Haines Junction on Aug. 17. (Ana Bergmann-Good/Facebook)

A 10-kilometre section of the Alaska Highway north of Haines Junction reopened to single-lane traffic Aug. 18 after being closed for more than 10 hours due to a mudslide.

In an Aug. 18 email correspondence, Department of Highways and Public Works spokesperson Brittany Cross said the highway reopened at 1 a.m. after closing at 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 17.

The department was notified of the mudslide near Sheep Mountain at kilometre 1644 of the highway around 1 p.m. on Aug. 17.

“Crews made their way to the scene and the highway was officially closed around 2:30 p.m.,” Cross stated. “Crews were on site assessing the road with support from two loaders; an excavator and several dump trucks were on site and more are on the way.”

The road was deemed impassable and closed from kilometre 1637 to 1647 while work was done to the road.

A number of people took to social media to highlight the road closure and share the news with others who might be travelling, also sharing when it reopened.

“The highway is open to single lane traffic and an escort vehicle is piloting traffic through the area,” Cross stated. “This will be in effect for the next few days and it’s unknown at this time how long clean up and repairs will take.”

Drivers can expect delays of less than 20 minutes.

While there is also a smaller landslide further north at kilometre 1658, it is not impacting traffic at this time, Cross said.

Updated information is available 511yukon.ca or by calling 511.

Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com



Stephanie Waddell

About the Author: Stephanie Waddell

I joined Black Press in 2019 as a reporter for the Yukon News, becoming editor in February 2023.
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