A series of mudslides have caused the closure of the South Klondike Highway south of Carcross, Yukon, disrupting travel between the territory and the southeastern Alaska town of Skagway. The Yukon Department of Highways and Public Works announced in a social media post that the highway is shut down from kilometre 106 to 24, essentially blocking access from Carcross to northern British Columbia and extending to the U.S.-Canada border.
According to a department representative, multiple mudslides occurred, prompting assessment work scheduled to commence on Wednesday morning. While no vehicles were caught in the mudslides, two cruise ship passenger tour buses are currently stuck due to the road closure, as reported by the Skagway Police Department.
The police alerts indicated that it may take several days to clear the mudslides, with the possibility of an extended closure. Due to the unstable mountain side, road clearance is pending a geologist’s assessment, as per one of the alerts.
Skagway police announced a partial reopening of the highway on Wednesday morning from the international border to the Yukon-British Columbia border for tour operations, restricting traffic beyond kilometre 80.