Alert system ready as Whitehorse prepares for more landslides

The City of Whitehorse says more landslides are likely on the way and that could mean evacuations for some residents living beneath the clay cliffs.

Last weekend, a landslide from the clay cliffs just south of downtown covered part of Robert Service Way. The road has been closed since, with no date set to reopen.

That's because the cliffs remain unstable, city staff say.

At a briefing Friday, staff told reporters that warm weather and rain, combined with that instability, will likely mean bigger slides are on the way. They say monitoring is increasing, and residents can sign up online to receive warnings by text or email.

That could include evacuation notices — though city staff say few residents will have to worry about that.

"At the end of Drury Street there's a few key residents that are right up close [to the escarpment]," city engineer Taylor Eshpeter told reporters at Friday's briefing.

The city has partially opened its Emergency Operations Centre in preparation. It coordinates equipment, resources and staff, and would fully open seven days a week in the event of bigger landslides.

Robert Service Way reopening timeline uncertain 

Instability caused by new tension cracks that formed on the escarpment after last weekend's landslide have prevented crews from removing debris from Robert Service Way, according to city staff.

Mayor Laura Cabott says it will likely reopen incrementally. That could mean reopening one lane with traffic lights once the cliffs are more stable, so crews can work alongside traffic, though that could change throughout the spring.

"It's just going to fluctuate depending on what the conditions are," Cabott said.

The closure of one of the main arteries into downtown has heightened traffic on alternative routes each morning.

Cabott said the city is still considering making transit free, as it did after a similar landslide and road closure last year, to help ease road congestion. In the meantime, she suggested commuters consider starting their day earlier, or ditching their cars in favour of cycling, walking or ride sharing where possible.

Staff say parts of the Millennium and upper escarpment trails will likely remain closed longer until the cliffs look like they'll remain stable, which could be months. Cabott said temporary fencing is being installed around the area.

The city is in talks with Yukon government about what long-term project is needed for the escarpment to prevent landslides from threatening roads and infrastructure in Whitehorse, Eshpeter said. He said the city would apply for funding for the eventual project through the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, hopefully later this year.

Tension cracks have also posed a threat to the Takhini sanitary trunk line, which carries over half of Whitehorse's sewage out of town, so a landslide on that part of the escarpment could lead to the release of raw sewage. 

That threat has been mitigated, staff said, as sewage is now running through a temporary bypass until the Takhini line is replaced later this summer.