Crews monitoring Robert Service Way escarpment in Whitehorse after 'minor slide'

Consultants with the City of Whitehorse are monitoring the escarpment along Robert Service Way after a "minor slide" on Thursday.

Tension cracks started to form Wednesday afternoon as a result of thawing caused by warm weather, the city said in an update late Friday afternoon.

The slide on Thursday was less than 100 cubic metres, the city said.

"Crews have also observed an acceleration of water seepage throughout the slope," the update said.

Crews have put their response plan in place to mitigate the impact of any future slides.

"The existing jersey barriers have been relocated along Robert Service Way and crews are prepared to deploy a lock block wall for smaller slides should conditions deteriorate," the update said.

Road and trail closures could be implemented if monitoring indicates a potential for a larger slide. The city said road and trail users should use caution in the area.

Engineers have been closely monitoring the escarpment this year, after larger landslidesin 2022 and 2022 caused prolonged closures of Robert Service Way, one of the main arteries for traffic into and out of the downtown.