Whitehorse community association says Alaska Highway tender makes 'mockery' of assessment process

The Hillcrest Community Association in Whitehorse is not happy that Yukon Highways and Public Works has issued a tender for work on a section of the Alaska Highway without receiving final recommendations from Yukon's Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board (YESAB). 

"We feel [it] makes a mockery of all of us community members that engaged in this process," said Shaunagh Stikeman, a board member with the association.

YESAB was supposed to issue its evaluation report on the project last week, but pushed it back due to "capacity issues." On its website, YESAB said the report will be issued no later than May 7. 

The design work in question is for a 2.3-kilometre section of highway between Range Road and Lodestar Lane, south of the Whitehorse airport.

Richard Mostyn, minister of Highways and Public Works, said the tender was issued to make the most of Yukon's short construction season. He said changes can still be made to it, based on YESAB's response.

"We'll carefully review the recommendations and alter the design to reflect any necessary changes." 

Paul Murchison, director of the transportation and engineering branch of Highways and Public Works, said putting the tender out ahead of YESAB's final decision document allows contractors to start preparing their bids. He said the contract will not be awarded until any revisions to the project design are addressed. 

He said while the territory does have the authority to reject or amend YESAB's recommendations, doing so would require further consultation with stakeholders. 

"I've been here for 10 years with transportation and, for all the YESAB assessments that we've done in that 10 years, we've never rejected a single recommendation. We don't nonchalantly reject a recommendation."

'Same design' as shelved 2016 plan

Stikeman said the Hillcrest Community Association was happy when, in 2016, Mostyn announced the government was shelving the previous Yukon Party government's highway plan.

"Our elected officials made it very clear that they were shelving that plan because voters simply didn't want it," said Stikeman. 

She said the association was therefore shocked when the new highway plan was unveiled in 2019. 

"It was essentially the same design that had been proposed by the previous government and in fact, in some way, typically worse," she said, noting the highway design allows for seven lanes across in some places. 

Stikeman said the association "dutifully engaged" in the consultation process and the feedback was clear.

"There were about I think 63 comments submitted to YESAB and I think it's fair to say that about 62 of those comments were strongly opposed to the project for some very rational and well-thought-out reasons."

A letter submitted to YESAB on behalf of the Hillcrest Community Association, Valleyview Community Association and Whitehorse Urban Cycling Coalition in February cited pedestrian and bicyclist safety, traffic speed and increased carbon emissions as some chief concerns related to the design. 

Stikeman said the association feels fairly confident that the YESAB report will mitigate issues identified with the project. She said it shows "bad faith" for highways to be moving the process forward before the board's recommendations are released.

Mostyn argues the new project addresses those concerns. He said the speed will be 60 kilometres an hour and the design, which includes additional lanes, traffic lights and multi-use pathways, will make the highway safer for pedestrians and drivers, as well as businesses and communities along it.  

"They want a highway that's slower safer and easier to cross ... we've heard them and this project achieves that."

The Yukon Highways Department said the work will take two years to complete.