Yukon drivers say Robert Campbell Hwy dangerous

Residents of Ross River, Yukon, say the Robert Campbell Highway is in such bad shape that they fear driving on it.

Elder Dorothy Smith dreads driving the 370 kilometres of highway between Ross River and Watson Lake.

"It's narrow and it has lots of rocks on it instead of gravel, and potholes everywhere. So if you're driving to Watson from Ross it'll take you about six or seven hours," she said.

"They didn't do any brushing or anything so you have to be careful when you're travelling on that road, it’s really dangerous for people."

Smith says many people travel between the two communities, but it's difficult to navigate without a four-by-four vehicle.

"There are sections on the Campbell that aren't wide enough for two vehicles to pass. And then we have all these mining companies in there hauling ore now and degrading the road even further," said Brian Ladue, chief of the Ross River Dena Council.

Ladue says the Dena Council met with Yukon government officials on the issue. He says fixing the road is a matter of public safety.

Flooding has exacerbated problems

The Minister of Highways and Public Works, Wade Istchenko, agrees the Campbell is in bad shape.

He says flooding and washouts last month made the situation even worse.

Istchenko says upgrading the road is a priority for him, and he assures residents in Ross River it will be repaired.

"We've got a bunch of money identified for brushing and continued on maintenance. We've got a three-phrase approach to the Campbell highway on upgrades, brushing, widening the road, absolutely. And now we'll be back doing some increased maintenance, like we'll have to get out there and blade the roads, fill in some of the potholes and stuff like that," he said.

Istchenko says crews haven't had a chance to do regular maintenance over the last few weeks because they've been dealing with flooding on the highway.

The Yukon government has budgeted $33.7 million over the next four years to fix the highway.