Dempster Highway crews still waiting to begin repairs

Yukon highway officials say it'll be "all hands on deck" to repair more than a dozen washed-out sections of the Dempster Highway, once the flood waters recede.

• Dempster Highway could be closed 'several days,' Yukon gov't says

But there's still no word on when the road will fullyre-open to motorists.

Heavy rains on Wednesday caused an estimated 15 washouts between the Tombstone Mountains and the N.W.T. border, "some very severe," according to Clint Ireland with Yukon's department of highways.

"We've had washouts on the Dempster, some slides, but never anything like this," he said.

"There's still high water on the road, and we're not able to make any repairs."

Ireland says some motorists with trailers were camped out along the road, waiting to be able to move on. By Friday afternoon, road crews were able to guide them out of the trouble areas.

Other travelers are in Dawson City, waiting to makethe journey north.

Evelyn Loreen, who works at theN.W.T. Visitor Information Centre in Dawson, said more than 100 people came in on Thursday,waiting for the road to open.

"We have them coming in three, four times a day, 'is it open yet?'

"There's a lot of people who wanted togo on the Dempster Highway, especially to Inuvik and to the Arctic Circle."