Residents call for upgrades to 'very deceiving' bridge after Alaska Highway crash near Whitehorse

Residents near the site of a majorcrash outside Whitehorse say the Yukon government needs to improve safety at the approaches to the Lewes River bridge.

"The entrance to the bridge,for whatever reason, can be very deceiving for people," said Marsh Lake resident Brian Kitchen.

A pickup truck hauling a trailer loaded with vehicles went into the water near the bridge Monday. One occupant of the truck swam to safety, while the other remains missing. Both men are from Phoenix, Ariz. Their names haven't been released.

RCMP said Wednesday the search for the missing man continues. Sgt. Brent Edwards said a police dive team arrived from British Columbia Tuesday and officers using drones have located the vehicles in the water. Edwards said the divers will help pinpoint the vehicles.

"Debris could be seen, oil could be seen, however [with] the depth and colourationof the water with thecurrent, it is difficult to know 100 per cent until someone is under the water," Edwards said. He added police used underwater cameras to examine the wreckage, but the search for a body was "inconclusive."

The bridge has been the site of several serious crashes over the years. Two people died in a multi-vehicle crash there in 2020, while a Watson Lake man narrowly avoided injury in 2015 when he lost control of his vehicle and plunged into the Yukon River.

Kitchen said several drivers have hit the bridge itself over the years. He said downhill approaches, heavy truck traffic and the presence of two residential roads and a highway rest stop nearby all combine to make the site dangerous.

"If you've got big trucks coming down the hill the other way and they have a big load, then that can probablyintimidate people who are approaching the bridge," Kitchen said.

"Also, the other thing about the bridge that we've oftencommented on to politicians and others is the fact that there should be a pedestrian walkway. This whole area is getting a lot more use."

Chance Temple also lives nearby. He said visibility can be a problem at the bridge, especially in the winter, when open water from the river combines with cold air to create heavy fog. Temple said there should be more roadside lights in the area.

"Realistically, [the bridge]needs to be replaced with one of the newer standard big concrete ugly things," he said.