Alaska Highway re-opens south of Yukon after spill

The Alaska Highway has re-opened south of Fort Nelson, B.C. to one lane, after being closed for several hours early on Tuesday.

According to the Drive B.C. website, run by the province's Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the highway was closed in both directions between Wonowon (kilometre 161) and Pink Mountain, but by early afternoon had opened a single lane to alternating traffic.

The website calledit a "semi incident."

A road report from the federal government's Public Works department says the closure was due to a spill at kilometre 203.

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'Pretty darn icy'

Korey Ollenberger, from Pink Mountain Campsite and RV, told CBC on Tuesday morning that the closure was due to a rollover of a truck hauling condensate, a liquid from natural gas.

"The weather has been changing here so drastically," he said.

"I've been hauling hay out of Fort Nelson for the last four days and she's been pretty slippery all the way from Fort St. John pretty well to Fort Nelson."

Ollenberger sayswinds have also been blowing snow across the road.

"They're pretty darn icy."

Ollenberger saidhis parking lot was full of truckers waiting out the road closure, and there were lineups on the highway.

"Far as I know, nobody's injured," he said.

"The highway people are pretty much doing everything they can do, they just can't keep up with this weather change."

Highway 97, in B.C., runs more than 2,000 kilometres from the Canada-U.S. border near Osoyoos in southern B.C., to Watson Lake, Yukon.

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