The Dry Creek highway section of the Alaska Highway, approximately 400 metres in length, is located in the Yukon, approximately 40 km southeast of where the highway crosses into Alaska. It was identified as a key section of highway that necessitated permafrost mitigation over the long-term. The section is characterized by well-graded glaciofluvial sand and gravel underlain by glaciolacustrine silt and clay. Permafrost beneath the section is warm (>-1°C) and ice-rich, with massive ground ice layers in excess of 9 m. Yukon’s Department of Highways and Public Works identified massive ground ice during investigation and construction of the original alignment in 1994/1995. The massive ground ice makes this section particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate warming due to the thaw-sensitive nature of the permafrost.
This project was also presented at Quebec 2019, the 8th Canadian Permafrost Conference. Click here to view this presentation.
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