Bulk-haul Traffic Highway Maintenance and Rehabilitation Impact Study

Yukon Government maintains a 4,800 km highway network. Bulk haul for mining impacts highway
maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) budget demand. A proportion of the network traverses
permafrost which amplifies the climate change impact on M&R costs with respect to the
sustainability of the Yukon highway network.

The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for the estimation of the cost impact of
industrial bulk hauling on the Yukon highway network. The relatively low volume of industrial
traffic on mine haul roads in Yukon allows for a degree of data control that may not be available
to researchers in other regions of Canada.