Heavy rainfall last week forced the closure of Highway 1 into Fort Simpson on May 7 after a culvert washout took out a section of the highway.
The washout extended across the highway. Dan Quevillon, regional superintendent for the Department of Infrastructure, said crews began work on repairs the morning of May 7 and were able to complete repairs in a matter of hours. "My hat is off to my team," he said.
The culvert in question had been inspected just prior to the washout, Quevillon said, but 50 millimetres of rain had fallen the night before.
"The volume of water at the culvert inlet exceeded its capacity, which forced the water to take an alternate route through the highway sub-base," Quevillon said.
"The road base at this location consists of sandy soil, which erodes very quickly and resulted in the road being undermined overnight."