Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Infrastructure Minister related to my Member's statement on highway washouts.
Can the Minister explain the extent of the damage and the type of repairs completed at the washout locations in order for traffic to flow through? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have experienced unprecedented water levels on multiple sections of our highways, Highway 1, Highway 2, Highway 3, and 5, all have been impacted.
On Highway 5, we've had a washout to the bridge approach at Preval Creek and closed the highway briefly to repair. On Highway 1, we saw highwater levels breaching the road surface in multiple areas. Kilometre 56, we reduced the highway to one lane, installed multiple pumps to move water to the other side of the highway. Kilometre 84, Escarpment Creek, CN were pumping water over the rail bed and it impacted our highway. We again pumped the water over the highway to be able to bring that water level down. At Kilometre 236 to 238, our road surface began to deteriorate, and we dug two trenches to reduce the water level and protect the integrity of the highway. We also experienced washout at this section and installed Bailey Bridge to allow us to reopen that highway. On the Kakisa access, we replaced a culvert and plan to install an additional culvert this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that response.
Can the Minister let us know if these sections will require major repairs to ensure proper width and compaction? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our highway crews are still working to keep the highways open, and I'm happy to report that they're making good progress so far. We have not been able to complete a full inspection of these areas as we only can do that when the water fully subsides. However, from what we've seen so far, there does not appear to be significant damages to our highway embankments. We will have some areas that will require the shoulders to be replaced due to the erosion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these are natural disasters, and I'm just not sure if insurance claims will be an issue here in these circumstances. Does the Minister have the necessary funding for these type of emergencies? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, the only insurance we have on our highway systems is for liability but it doesn't cover damage. The Department of Infrastructure is not currently funded for emergency situations. The funding for these repairs will come from our budgets.
Infrastructure is working closely with MACA. There are many GNWT costs that are likely to be eligible for federal reimbursement and the departments are working together to better understand the overall impact to GNWT infrastructure, including the highway system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister.
Mr. Speaker, I know there will be First Nations development corporations or businesses looking to partner with established businesses or companies to secure contracts to repair the damaged sections. Will the Minister consider negotiated contracts for these repairs? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department would consider any requests to a negotiated contract as per our policy. Keeping in mind that timelines to inspect, engineer, the availability of contractors, may preclude entering into negotiated contracts if we want to get this work done this year. Many repairs are already underway due to the urgent requirements to keep our highway system open. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
