The discovery of gold in the Klondike valley in 1896 led to the establishment of a tiny community where the Klondike River flows into the Yukon. By the summer of 1898, Dawson City, located 536km north west of Whitehorse, was the largest city in Canada west of Winnipeg, with a population of 40,000. Today, the community of 2,000 residents is still a gold mining centre, although the main economic activity is tourism attracting 60,000 visitors annually.
It was determined through completion of extensive testing and thermal modeling of the permafrost beneath Front Street that a black asphalt surface would not be suitable for surface treatment. It was also recognized that due to the Heritage Value of Dawson City, black asphalt would not be acceptable, thus the solution to match the pavement color to the existing gravel roads using Bituclair was determined.
The Bituclair ES binder was modified and tested in the Colas laboratory in France in order to meet the harsh weather conditions experienced in Dawson City of -50C to +35C. This was the first time that Bituclair was used in a North American application. 123 tonnes was transported the 19,000 kms from France to BC then transported by truck to Dawson City where the much anticipated project began on September 11, 2009.
Haines Highway/Dalton Trail
The Haines Highway provides a highway link between Haines, Alaska and the Yukon. The highway was named the Dalton Trail when in 1899 it was originally used by traders & prospectors as a trade route between the two neighboring countries.
The highway is now a major commercial and tourist route and is part of the Shakwak Highway system which is under a funding agreement between the American and Canadian Governments for upgrading and paving in order to provide a safer and more efficient highway link.
