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Nahanni Range Road

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Yukon Highway 10 marker

Nahanni Range Road

Yukon Highway 10
Nahaniroad2010.jpg
Nahanni Range Road heading eastwards
Route information
Maintained by Yukon DOH&PW
Major junctions
West end Hwy 4 (Robert Campbell Highway) north of Watson Lake
East endTowards Tungsten, NT
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceYukon
Highway system
Hwy 9 Hwy 11

The Nahanni Range Road was completed in the early 1960s from Watson Lake, Yukon along the present alignment of the Robert Campbell Highway to Miner Junction (aka Cantung Junction), thence along the Highway 10 route, across the border into the Northwest Territories to the privately owned mining town, Tungsten (for the tungsten mined there), and the Cantung Mine (for Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation). The portion between Cantung Junction and Watson Lake has, since 1971, been part of the Robert Campbell Highway (Yukon Highway 4).

The Nahanni Range Road proper is entirely gravel, and is not recommended for general public use. Originally, two-thirds of the route was maintained by the Yukon government, and had campgrounds for public use. The remaining third was maintained by the mining company, open to public traffic, but with no public facilities at the town. When the mine shut in 1986, the road fell into disuse and maintenance became increasingly difficult. Since the mine resumed intermittent production in 2003, the road has been restored for the use of the mining company, but general public travel is still not advised.

In January 2020, the Yukon Government and the Liard River First Nation announced an agreement for a first phase of repairs. $17 million of federal and territorial tax funds will pay for the replacement of two bridges along Nahanni Range Road.[citation needed]

See also

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