Dettah ice road, fast becoming a slushie, closes for season
The Yellowknife to Dettah ice road shut up shop for the season on Wednesday as pooling water made reaching the Yellowknife end tricky.
One woman described to the CBC how she had contemplated leaping through the window of her cab as it became stuck in the treacherous conditions.
The territory’s Department of Infrastructure subsequently closed the road for the season as of 4pm on Wednesday.
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The ice road came in late for its third successive season this year, only entering service on January 5 – around two weeks later than the 15-year average opening date of December 21.
The 15-year average closing date is April 21, meaning Dettah residents had the benefit of the road for somewhat less than the usual four full months.
The fate of an abandoned Buick (pictured above) left on the ice road earlier this month is unclear, though territorial officials had planned to tow it.