See also:

Dempster Hwy. road kills
 
Air traffic
 
Park visitors
 
Peel River ferry
 
Peel River ice bridge

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op

What is happening?

• This graph shows the traffic volume at the southern end of the Dempster Hwy. There is similar information available for the northern portion of the Dempster Hwy in the Northwest Territories.
• There are large seasonal differences in traffic flow between summer (May-Sept.), fall (Oct.-Dec.) and winter (Jan.-Apr.).
• Summer traffic has increased in recent years but the large spike in 2002 was caused by high numbers in the month of August. The number of vehicles travelling in fall and winter is low and averages between 40 to 50 vehicles per day.

Why is it happening?

• The Dempster Highway provides the only road link from southern Canada to communities in the Mackenzie River delta such as Fort McPherson and Inuvik. Oil and gas exploration work in the area as well as tourism contribute to the volume of vehicle traffic.

Why is it important?

• The Dempster Highway travels across the northern Yukon and through many different wildlife habitats. Increased traffic might lead to disruptions in animal movements and increased mortality from road-kills. Because the road crosses the winter range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, an increase in winter traffic would be a concern for management and protection of caribou.

Technical Notes

• These figures were obtained from annual Traffic Volume Statistics reports prepared by the Transportation Engineering Branch of Yukon Government.
• Most data were recorded at Km 65 of the Dempster Highway at the Yukon Government's Klondike Maintenance Camp. Between 2004 and 2006 the counter was located at Km 0, at the junction with the Klondike Highway.
• There was no counter installed in 1976 or 1977; no data are available for 2007.
• The data for 1986-1993 were collected but Department staff have been unable to locate the reports.