Still no reopening date for Robert Service Way in Whitehorse as landslides continue
CBC
It might be the rain, it might be the sun —with warm, wet weather in Whitehorse, the escarpment along Robert Service Way keeps getting less and less stable.
The road has been shut down since a major slide on April 8 forced its closure, and there is still no timeline for when it might reopen.
There was another small slide Monday morning, near the April 8 slide, said the city's engineering services manager, Taylor Eshpeter. He said the city doesn't yet know when the escarpment will stabilize.
"We are seeing the escarpment becoming more active each day. Whether that's directly related to the precipitation or just the warming weather is not completely known," he said Monday.
Eshpeter said most of the activity along the escarpment is on Robert Service Way, though city staff are still monitoring other areas and have cordoned off areas they're concerned about.
"There is elevated levels of risk in those areas, and that is why we have them fenced off. It is important for people to stay out of those areas," he said.
In a public service announcement late Monday, the city said people can expect to see more minor slides and groundwater seepage along the escarpment as things warm up.
It asked people to call 911 if they see "significant movement" carrying debris beyond the barriers.
The city also said it's making some changes to other roads to try to alleviate traffic flow issues linked to the closure of Robert Service Way.
It said the timing of traffic signals at the intersections of Two Mile Hill and Range Road, as well as Two Mile Hill and the Alaska Highway, will change starting Tuesday.
"These modifications are expected to improve some of the movements at the intersections, but the intersections will continue to be busy during morning peak times," it stated.