There is no word on how long Robert Service Way will be closed to traffic following another landslide early last Saturday morning, Mayor Laura Cabott said today.

Cabott, city engineer Taylor Eshpeter and acting fire chief Jason Wolsky held a media briefing this morning to update the situation on the status of the slide and road closure.

Cabott said they’ll have to wait and see what the future will bring in the short term, but that more landslides are expected this spring.

City engineers and consulting engineers are working on an escarpment management plan but they don’t have one yet – and there’s no time table to complete one at this point, the mayor said.

Cabott said officials are expecting to see more landslide activity this spring.

“Crews continued to monitor the site over the weekend, and the most recent survey shows there is movement in areas of concern,” she said.

Cabott said most of the escarpment is stable, but a number of areas have shown the potential for landslides.

Once Saturday’s slide was reported, there was a decision to close the road and affected portions of the Millennium Trail, the Upper Escarpment Trail and trails along the lower escarpment, she said. The Rotary Bridge remains open.

Cabott said officials are again asking residents and visitors to respect the road and trail closures.

They are aware of one motorist who moved a barricade and drove through the closed section of road at about 4 a.m. Saturday, about three hours after the slide occurred, she said.

The mayor said they don’t want to have to send their escarpment team into the area for a rescue, as members might also be exposed to danger.

Since the major April 30, 2022 slide, she said, the city has been preparing for this year’s spring melt.

As part of the preparation, the city has been working with the Tetra Tech engineering company and BGC Engineering on an escarpment monitoring plan, the mayor said.

She said the goal of the monitoring plan is to identify areas of concern and mitigate the risks to road users as much as possible.

The plan was built on data from last year’s slides, ongoing visual inspections, drone flights, slope monitoring data and analysis provided by contracted engineers.

It also included an analysis of high-risk areas that should be monitored, Cabott said.

She said new tension cracks on the slope have been identified, and the slope continues to show signs of instability.

In the coming days, crews will continue to assess the slope and work with city staff to identify a way forward.

That could include partial or periodic openings of the road, but “the public should be prepared for significant disruptions this spring,” Cabott cautioned.

The mayor said dealing with last year’s slide cost the city about $3 million, of which $2.3 million was reimbursed by the Yukon government, which she thanked.

Looking at a permanent solution could cost tens of millions of dollars, perhaps as high as $100 million, she said.

Cabott noted she has spoken to territorial and federal ministers to describe the situation Whitehorse is in.

There is, she noted, disaster mitigation funding available from the federal government.

City council has decided to proceed this year with relocating the Takhini trunk line that runs along the escarpment and moves approximately 70 per cent of the city’s waste water, Cabott explained.

She explained the line could be susceptible to landslides. Relocating it will cost in the neighbourhood of $10 million.

Wolsky said personnel continue to monitor the escarpment, but at this point they are not seeing any other areas that might pose a danger.

They will continue to monitor the terrain and will definitely let people know if any areas of danger are showing up, he said.

Eshpeter said they have been monitoring the area since last year’s slide.

On March 20 of this year, they installed survey equipment to bolster the monitoring efforts, he said.

The mayor said they expect landslides will continue happening in future years.

With climate change and the changing weather, the city will probably see more sliding along the escarpment continuously, she said.

Cabott said it’s her understanding the record snowfall of two years ago is still saturating the ground.

It’s hard to accept but the city will likely face these types of challenges in future years, she said.

“That is what we are looking at.”