The Taylor Highway has been closed again because of washouts caused by heavy rains, and a disaster declaration for the area is expected from Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell.

With another closure of the Taylor, highway travellers are unable to use the Yukon's Top of the World Highway to travel from Dawson City into Alaska, and vice-versa.

The Dempster Highway was also closed over the weekend because of excessive rainfall and road washouts between kilometres 236 and 242, Jennifer Magnuson, a spokeswoman for the territorial highways branch, said this morning.

She said the Dempster was closed Friday night, reopened Saturday and was closed again Sunday.

"Then it was opened this morning to single-lane traffic,” Magnuson said. "The Ogilvie River has been flooding and water is seeping out wherever it can.”

Magnuson said the Dempster is being hit by the same system of excessive rain that's been soaking the eastern half of the Alaska.

There are signs in Dawson telling travellers the Taylor Highway is again impassible, and all the visitor information centres are being kept apprised of the situation, she said.

Spokeswoman Meadow Bailey of Alaska's Department of Transportation said this morning from Anchorage the governor is expected to make the disaster declaration Tuesday.

"It means you are eligible for federal funding, and it makes it easier to bring procurement of contracts faster,” she said.

Bailey said that rather than waiting the regular couple of weeks before the state issues work contracts, the declaration allows for fast-tracking the purchase of services.

"We have contractors up there but this would allow us to reinforce the help we have already.”

The Taylor Highway opened last week to the Top of the World Highway after having been closed for the previous week because of washouts, though the section into Eagle, Alaska never reopened, and still remains closed .

The section linking the Taylor to the Top the World closed again at 8:30 a.m. Friday, and repair crews were actually pulled back over the weekend, Bailey said.

The crews, she pointed out, have been going flat-out to begin with, and with weather conditions not improving, it was decided to pull them back.

"It was counterproductive for us to try and make repairs that were being washed away,” Bailey said.

There's no estimate regarding when the link between the Yukon and Alaska might re-open, she added.

Meanwhile, the persistent rainfall has also forced the suspension of the search for a U.S. border security officer whose SUV was located in the middle of a flooding creek about 60 metres down an embankment off the Taylor Highway.

"We were concerned the conditions were putting our searchers in danger,” Beth Ipsen, a spokeswoman for the Alaska State Troopers, said this morning from Anchorage.

She said the Department of Homeland Security, the department responsible for border guards, has at least one tracking dog on the search.

In mid-July, the troopers received a report of tire tracks leaving the Taylor Highway.

The vehicle belonging to Charles Collins was removed last week from O'Brien Creek, along the stretch of highway leading into Eagle.