Workers are attempting emergency repairs after a bridge on the Dempster Highway’s Yukon stretch was struck and damaged by a vehicle on Saturday.
The incident, in which the Yukon government said the bridge sustained structural damage, did not lead to any reported injuries but has closed the highway, which links Inuvik and the NWT’s Beaufort Delta to the south.
The bridge in question crosses the Eagle River around 90 km from the NWT border, to the north of the tiny Yukon community of Eagle Plains and west of Fort McPherson.
“The Dempster Highway is closed in both directions and to all traffic at kilometre 378, the Eagle River Bridge,” the Yukon government stated on Facebook on Tuesday.
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“At this time, emergency repairs are under way and no additional traffic will be allowed to cross the bridge while repairs are under way.
“These repairs, which are a temporary solution, will take at least three days and are subject to conditions on-site. Once the repairs are complete, we’ll be able to determine load capacity and timelines for when vehicles can safely cross.”
The Yukon government warned people not to attempt to travel through the area until further notice.
The Dempster Highway offers the only road access between the NWT’s Beaufort Delta communities and southern Canada.
The highway on the NWT side of the border is open to traffic. Updates on repairs are being posted to the Yukon’s highway conditions website.
