Photo by Chuck Tobin
INSTALLATION UNDERWAY – Crews are installing sheet piling along Robert Service Way. The crane, above, is positioning a sheet pile, the long narrow piece of sheet metal suspended by the crane. The pilings are pounded deep into the ground, with the upper portion remaining above- ground to serve as a barrier.
Robert Service Way should reopen by next Friday or the June 11-12 weekend, Mayor Laura Cabott told the Star this morning.
Robert Service Way should reopen by next Friday or the June 11-12 weekend, Mayor Laura Cabott told the Star this morning.
That will be some six weeks after the April 30 mudslide buried part of the road and the Millennium Trail.
Cabott said city crews should be done installing the sheet pilings by then, provided the onsite engineers do not get called away – as they were on Tuesday to inspect a new slide.
“As long as things stay calm, people can stay focused on Robert Service Way,” she said.
The mayor said there are other areas on the escarpment where tension cracks and movement have been seen, so it’s likely there will be more slides.
Robert Service Way has been cleared of all the débris.
Sheet pilings are long, narrow pieces of metal sheeting that are lifted and positioned by a crane, then pounded deep into the ground, with a section remaining above-ground to act as barrier.
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Comments (8)
Up 24 Down 23
bonanzajoe on Jun 5, 2022 at 8:30 pm
@OMG on Jun 4. It's not the mud on the highway that they are concerned about, it's the potential slides. And the US Army didn't have mud slides to contend with. Look, it's better to be safe than sorry later. I mean, is a few weeks of inconvenience going to kill anyone? Mud slides can. Think what we would be thinking today, if a family had been caught under that mud slide. This may be Mayor Cabot's first year in office, but at least she and the City council are showing leadership.
Up 29 Down 12
North_of_60 on Jun 4, 2022 at 9:50 pm
@Matthew, the silt sediment that forms the escarpment is from Glacial Lake Champagne that drained away about 7,000 years ago.
If the CoW wanted to be proactive and avoid unsightly graffiti, then they could seek designs from local artists and fund an Art Wall of the winning entries. They could even get the public involved voting on the designs to be featured. With a 3 meter height and a 120 meter length it offers a unique opportunity to display local art.
Up 20 Down 18
Charlie's Aunt on Jun 4, 2022 at 2:56 pm
Well that's pretty, did Trump move here? May work to prevent slides coming on to road, but it will be a great place for more graffiti around town.
Up 46 Down 21
OMG on Jun 4, 2022 at 12:06 pm
@BJ, in 1942 the US army built the entire Alaska highway in roughly a year. What’s so great about the City of Whitehorse taking 1/10 that long just to clear some mud off a road? Apparently the definition of “greatness” has fallen off a cliff over the last 80 years.
Up 17 Down 26
Matthew on Jun 4, 2022 at 8:25 am
Great, more metal to look at... is anyone even concerned about the escarpment!? Didn't think so.. funny, that escarpment was made by... you guess it, land slides.. for hundreds of thousands of years..
Up 34 Down 30
Yukoner ‘71 on Jun 4, 2022 at 4:34 am
Residents of outlying Yukon communities had better keep 6 weeks worth of supplies on hand as we now know that they are in danger of being cut off for weeks if a simple mud slide happens to come down across their highway. Oh wait, that happens on a somewhat regular basis on those roads and it’s handled efficiently with a minimum of drama so that most times people are hardly aware of it unlike this extended Whitehorse spectacle. There was absolutely no legitimate reason for Robert Service Way to remain closed all this time.
Up 34 Down 5
jack on Jun 3, 2022 at 8:26 pm
We used to drive across the dam in the 70's... short cut to Highway from Riverdale.
Up 28 Down 32
bonanzajoe on Jun 3, 2022 at 4:47 pm
Doing a great job guys. And great leadership Mayor Cabot.