Restrictions on the weight of goods vehicles heading into the NWT from Alberta are lifting on Monday.
Some of the territory’s highways routinely require load limits on vehicles in the spring, when road conditions can be soft.
But that kind of restriction is rare for Highway 1 heading north from Alberta toward Hay River and Yellowknife.
Last week, some businesses said newly imposed territorial restrictions immediately north of the Alberta border – meaning trucks carrying goods and fuel to places like Yellowknife could only take up to 75 percent of their usual loads – had arrived with little to no warning and were pushing up prices.
On its website, the NWT’s Department of Infrastructure now says the 75-percent limit is lifted as of Monday for the relevant segment of Highway 1.
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Last week, Air Tindi boss Chris Reynolds said many companies would be able to absorb a week of 10-percent price increases brought about by the load limits, but he and others had no word from the GNWT about whether the issue would last longer.
The territorial government had promised to review the restrictions by the end of last Friday.
Multiple highways in the NWT remain under some form of limit – including other stretches of Highway 1 – but the route to and from Yellowknife is no longer reduced to 75-percent loads.
The Department of Infrastructure previously said limits were necessary because “certain areas along NWT highways are experiencing soft surface conditions and the temporary restrictions will ensure safety, protect the infrastructure and reduce the need for costly repairs.”
