Fort Simpson (May 05/06) - Heavy spring run-offs are causing closures on the road system across the Deh Cho.

Severe wash-outs on the evening of April 28 forced the Department of Transportation to close Highway 1 between the junction of Highways 1 and 3 and Checkpoint, said department spokesperson Bob Kelly.

At kilometre 274, half a kilometre of the gravel highway was washed out after a run-off overwhelmed the culverts and flowed over the road, removing some of the road bed.

A smaller wash-out occurred at kilometre 313, Kelly said.

Repairs on the two areas began on Saturday morning when the water receded. The highway was reopened on May 1 to one-lane traffic at the affected areas.

The damage at kilometre 313 was expected to be repaired by May 2 or 3. Kilometre 274 will not be finished until late this week or early next week, said Kelly. It will take a lot of gravel to bring the road back to a level plane, he said.

Spring run-offs also closed the access road to Kakisa. A culvert collapsed on Saturday evening, allowing water to flood across the road, said Kelly. Repairs helped the road reopen by Sunday.

Diane Simba, a resident of Kakisa, said she can't remember the road being washed out before. She saw some of the repair work being done when she drove back into the community on the weekend.

The access road to Jean Marie River was closed on Tuesday morning. Kelly expected the closure to be short-term.

In Jean Marie River, Erma Norwegian said a lot of people were surprised by the wash-out.

A lot of melt is expected in the spring, but it's usually not enough to overwhelm a road, Kelly said.

He pointed to the warmer than normal spring temperatures and heavy snow over the winter as possible causes.