A series of mudslides have caused roadblocks along the South Klondike Highway in the vicinity of Carcross, Yukon, disrupting travel between the territory and the town of Skagway in southeast Alaska. The closure spans from kilometre 106 to 24, effectively cutting off access from Carcross into northern British Columbia and extending to the U.S.-Canada border. The Yukon Department of Highways and Public Works announced the highway closure via a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, citing multiple mudslides that occurred.
Although no vehicles were caught in the mudslides, two cruise ship passenger tour buses are currently stranded due to the blocked highway, as reported by the Skagway Police Department. The department alerted that clearing the mudslides would be a time-consuming process, with a potential for the closure to last several days. Due to the unstable mountainside, road clearance efforts are on hold until a geologist evaluates the situation.
In response to the situation, the Skagway police department announced a partial reopening of the highway on Wednesday morning from the international border up to the Yukon-B.C. border to accommodate tours while restricting traffic beyond kilometre 80. The assessment work to clear the mudslides was scheduled to commence on Wednesday morning.