Winter storms close Yukon's Highway 3 for six days and counting
Heavy snowfall has shut down Haines Road Highway 3, the road connecting Haines Junction, Yukon, to Alaska. The highway has now been impassable for six days, and the closure is expected to continue through the weekend.
According to the Government of Yukon's highway information website, the highway first closed on December 24 from kilometre 71 to kilometre 245 because of strong winds, and snowy and icy road conditions.
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Haines Junction residents are still able to travel out of the community through Whitehorse via Highway 1, although conditions may be poor – Yukon Highways and Public Works has indicated the road is covered in loose snow.
Bobby Milnes is the director of transportation maintenance for Yukon Highways and Public Works. He told CBC's Brenda Barnes on Friday that he could not give an estimate of when the highway would reopen.
"We're doing the work as best we can and as quickly as we can but it's just challenging conditions right now," he said.
A map from Yukon Highways and Public works shows road conditions as of Saturday, December 30. Closed roads appear in red, sections with covered loose snow appears in blue and partly covered roads appear in yellow. (Yukon Highways and Public Works)
Some commercial traffic has been allowed to pass through a single lane into the territory through Highway 3 earlier this week. The village's one grocery store, The Little Green Apple, reported no shortages in product.
Milnes described snowbanks on the road up to 10 feet tall, and said crews are seeing additional snowfall of 3 to 4 feet each day. He also noted that avalanches and snow slides on the road are a concern.
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"What we don't want is people driving through a tunnel," he said. "We actually need to create enough space for vehicles to pull over to pass and things like that."
While highway closures around Haines Pass in Yukon aren't uncommon in the winter, Milnes acknowledged that this was a "long closure" for the highway.
A spokesperson from the Haines Junction RCMP detachment said blowing snow has often led to significant accumulations of snow on the pass, but reported that rumours circulating on social media of 30 feet of snow on the pass that have been attributed to the RCMP are unfounded.
They strongly discouraged motorists from attempting to pass barricades closing off Highway 3 and to drive safely and follow the guidance and direction of pilot car operators once the road reopens.
Yukon Highways and Public Works is urging anyone from outside the area who was considering driving out to the back country to camp for the long weekend to stay off the road, and deemed any non-essential travel on the closed highway unsafe.
This article, written by Caitrin Pilkington, was originally published by CBC News on December 31, 2023.
