Escarpment Update #1

As we enter spring, the City is preparing for freshet on the escarpment along Robert Service Way.

The City is taking a proactive approach to escarpment monitoring and maintenance, building on the work done in 2022 and 2023 to protect Robert Service Way and trails in the area. The escarpment will be monitored through a variety of methods including:

• radar-based slope scanning;
• visual inspections;
• groundwater level monitors;
• targeted survey monitoring of critical slope areas; and
• drone surveys.

If movement is detected along the escarpment, the City is acquiring 400 concrete lock blocks to build a retaining wall at the problem area. This will help mitigate against small volume slides along Robert Service Way.

Traffic lanes will also be proactively shifted away from the base of the escarpment, likely at the beginning of April, unless conditions change significantly.

The City is also planning for a long-term solution along the escarpment. Pending funding, the City plans to realign the north end of Robert Service Way by moving it away from the base of the escarpment and re-grading the slope in 2026. In partnership with the Government of Yukon, the City applied for the federal government’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to support this long-term plan to lessen the impacts of potential future landslides. 

Slope instability along the escarpment and Robert Service Way are now a regular occurrence and spring closures to the road and trails in the area should be expected annually until a permanent solution can be implemented.

Regular updates on the state of the escarpment will be shared on our social media and at: EngageWhitehorse.ca/escarpment-2024