Stay off closed winter roads or face oddly specific fine
Drivers are being warned to stay off the NWT’s closed winter roads.
The Department of Infrastructure issued the advisory on Thursday, saying drivers who ignored signs warning of closed roads were acting in unsafe and illegal fashion.
“Driving on a closed winter road can endanger your life, the lives of others, and your vehicle,” the department said in a statement.
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Ignoring closure signs and driving on a closed winter roads also means a strangely specific fine of $863 if you happen to be caught.
It isn’t immediately apparent why the fine is $863.
The Aklavik ice road closed on Thursday, with the Fort Simpson ice crossing already closed to some traffic and expected to fully close imminently. The Yellowknife-Dettah ice road has been closed for a week as water began to pool at the Yellowknife end of the road.
Meanwhile, the new all-season highway between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk is enjoying an awkward introduction to the phenomenon of northern spring.
The highway closed for a period of several hours on Thursday morning, and was again overnight Thursday into Friday, owing to muddy and slippery conditions.
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Merle Carpenter, regional infrastructure superintendent for the Beaufort Delta, told CBC around 40 kilometres of the road will need further construction work as soon as materials can be safely transported.