From washouts to fire hazards: Keeping traffic flowing on the Alaska Highway

Built in the 1940s to connect northern British Columbia and southern Yukon to Alaska, the historic Alaska Highway is often subject to the effects of harsh weather and the resulting challenging road conditions. While there are occasions when conditions can cause high water levels and short-term traffic delays, significant floods are not regular events, and extensive fires are even less common.

In the summer of 2022, the team from Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) responsible for maintaining an 835-kilometre section of the highway had to respond to 2 unusual emergencies of this nature back to back, over 600 kilometres and less than 2 months apart.

In each case, the PSPC team acted quickly to ensure the highway, which provides critical access to some of the most remote parts of North America, was repaired and ready to reopen before the winter.

The July washout

On July 1, 2022, at a point about 70 kilometres from the Yukon border, extremely heavy rainfall resulted in the collapse of a large beaver dam. When the beaver’s engineering project failed, it had a devastating impact on the human-engineered highway nearby. Debris carried by a torrent of water blocked the culverts (or underground pipes) that provide drainage for the road. With nowhere to go, the deluge washed away 75 metres of the highway, leaving a giant chasm along the route.

Darcy Cooper, an operations manager with the PSPC Alaska Highway team, was one of the first people at the site. “I got on a chopper with an environmental expert and 2 geotechnical engineers, and we flew 400 kilometres to assess the damage and determine how to get vehicles moving again.” Cooper was shocked by the state of the road. “It was clear that this wasn’t going to be an overnight fix,” he says. Collaborating with the local Lower Post First Nation and the government’s highway maintenance contractor, the PSPC team worked around the clock to establish a temporary detour.

They were able to take advantage of an old section of highway to restore traffic flow within 72 hours. “We cleared the old road of overgrown willows and had a culvert installed. The First Nation was instrumental in removing debris and redirecting traffic through the detour,” Cooper recounts. But the ravaged section of road had to be repaired in short order, as the detour wouldn’t be viable in winter.

The team turned to the PSPC Pacific Region office to initiate an accelerated bidding process for the project. Several local firms competed, and a contract was awarded in early August. “It was a big job. Thousands of cubic metres of gravel were needed to fill in the crater created by the water and build the road back up to surface level,” says Cooper. The work began immediately and was completed by October 15, 2022, allowing the highway to reopen in record time.

The August blaze

The PSPC team faced a new challenge on August 26, 2022, when a fuel tanker truck overturned on the Sikanni Chief River Bridge and ignited. They had to get a handle on the situation quickly and find out if the bridge was damaged, as it provides a vital link to Fort Nelson and other communities to the north.

“A member of our highway operations team drove there right after we were notified of the problem,” says Cooper. “The fire was still raging when he arrived, so there wasn’t much we could do until it was out,” adds Paul Frame, PSPC’s Chief Engineer for the Alaska Highway. “We had our maintenance contractor close the road on either side of the bridge and put up detour signs along the highway.”

The bridge remained closed for several weeks, during which PSPC brought in experts to inspect the damage. “The material in the tanker was very flammable. There were estimates that the fire could have heated bridge components to over 600 degrees Celsius,” says Frame. “The burning fuel ran across the sloped bridge deck, while the drains for water run-off sent that heat to the underside of the structure. We were worried about the integrity of various bridge elements, especially the concrete.”

After a thorough evaluation, the bridge was deemed safe for one-way traffic with load limitations. “We all breathed a sigh of relief,” notes Frame. “The detour around the bridge added 16 hours of travel time, which was a big logistics issue for communities and industries who rely on the road for the movement of goods. We had even considered building a temporary bridge on top of the current structure, but that wasn’t necessary in the end. With one lane, we could get goods through.”

Further tests, which included drilling into the concrete core to assess the heat impact, later revealed it was safe to fully open the bridge. Yet the fire had affected the bridge deck, barriers, joints and substructure. Following a competitive bidding process, a contractor was selected to carry out the needed repairs, which will be completed in 2023, so the bridge can reach its remaining service life.

Recognition for a job well done

2022 was a truly unconventional summer for our Alaska Highway team, which typically focuses on operational inspections and overseeing planned maintenance projects. “But we have tools and resources in place to put into action when we’re hit with the unexpected,” Frame says. “We have standing offers to call on experts quickly, the maintenance contract, our connections with the communities along the highway, and a committed PSPC team supporting operational requirements.”

PSPC’s effort in dealing with the 2022 crises was recognized by the Fort Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce, with a nomination for a Business and Community Excellence Award in Public Service.

Learn more about our work on the Alaska Highway. You can also see Our stories for more articles about PSPC programs and services, and how they make a difference in the lives of Canadians.