Alaska Highway work in Whitehorse not 'twinning project', gov't says

Whitehorse commuters who live south of the city are getting a welcome improvementto their daily drive.

A 1.5 kilometre passing lane, the first of its kind in the Whitehorse area, is under construction on the Alaska Highwaysouth of the city, at the Mt. Sima Road intersection.

"There will be a passing lane, a deceleration lane, an acceleration lane and some intersection improvements," said Allan Nixon, Yukon's assistant deputy minister of transportation.

It's one of a number of safety upgradesplanned for the Whitehorse corridor of the Alaska highway.

But highways officials say talk about "twinning" the road through Whitehorsebuilding a parallel road for increased trafficis premature.

"People keep referring to it as the 'Alaska Highway twinning project,'" said Nixon, but "there is no such thing."

Nixon said short-term plans call for twinning certain sections of the corridor, but long-term plans are based on population growth estimates, 15 to 30 years down the road.

"We wouldn't need to do any of the additional work until 2031, and the bigger portion until 2045," said Nixon.

He expects next year's upgrades will focus on a section of highway north of the city.