Hon. Titus Allooloo's return to Question W36-12(2), asked by Mr. Nerysoo on June 18, 1992: The difference in the procedures used to maintain the Dempster Highway between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories is due to the type of material available on each side of the border.
In the Yukon, the material used is a sedimentary shale, which is softer than the glacial gravel found on the eastern side of the mountains in the Northwest Territories. The Yukon shale can be easily compacted using "packers" after it has been wet bladed. The gravel material available in the Northwest Territories does not respond as well to treatment by "packers."
The department's policy with respect to surface treatment procedures is included in the highway maintenance manual which allocates budget to the maintenance activity, as appropriate to the traffic use and material resources available on specific sections of the highway network.