Northwestel Inc. technicians have been on stand-by since the massive road washout on the Alaska Highway near Rancheria, about 320 kilometres south of Whitehorse.

"With a land movement of this proportion, our cables were at serious risk of becoming exposed and damaged,” Terry Prenoslo, the company's director of field operations, said today.

"Maintaining essential services to customers in any situation is always our goal. For that reason, we immediately arranged to have boots on the ground at the site to mitigate any possible issues for customers as soon as possible.”

Crew members were flown to the area by helicopter last Friday afternoon to begin removing debris from the exposed fibre optic cable and the surrounding area.

Splicing equipment and a splicing team were also dispatched to ensure a speedy repair in case of an accidental fibre cut.

The fibre was discovered exposed in five spots and was under strain from water and debris. With the assistance of Yukon personnel, Northwestel crews cleared the affected area and removed a culvert.

The crew remains on site monitoring the excavation and reconstruction of the road to ensure unexpected cuts do not occur.

Northwestel says it services the largest operating area of any telecommunications company in the Western Hemisphere over the most remote and rugged terrain in Canada.