Weeks of unusually snowy conditions have delayed the construction of Aklavik’s ice road – and there’s still no date for it to open.
Since 2006, the ice road connecting Inuvik to Aklavik has always opened before Christmas Day.
Not this year, though, because the sheer amount of snow falling over the Mackenzie Delta “is insulating the ice and slowing ice build-up,” the NWT’s Department of Infrastructure said on Saturday.
While snowfall data isn’t available for Aklavik, the data for Inuvik – around 50 km to the east – shows more December snow on the ground than any other year dating back to the early 1980s.
Snow acts like insulation on lakes as they freeze. More snow means ice takes longer to reach the thickness needed for winter road construction.
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“Work on Aklavik ice road construction is expected to resume as soon as the contractor can safely get back on the ice. We’ll continue to monitor conditions and open the ice road as soon as it’s safe to do so,” the department stated on Facebook.
“It’s difficult to predict with certainly how long it will take before all factors are met to open the Aklavik ice road, as the rate of freezing is highly dependent on variable conditions like air temperature, daylight and snowfall.
“We recognize this ice road is important to people in the region. We continue to monitor ice conditions and will complete construction as soon as it is safe to do so.”
There is no year-round road access to Aklavik, meaning the winter road season is an important opportunity for residents and for freight.
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Once it’s built, the road generally lasts until late April or early May.
While a January opening hasn’t happened since 2006, it was more common before that. In 1998, for example, the Aklavik ice road didn’t open until January 26 according to the GNWT’s published records.
The Aklavik road isn’t the only NWT ice road facing a delay this winter.
There’s also no opening date yet for the Dettah ice road, which often opens in December and has a latest-ever opening date of January 11.
