by P.J. Harston
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 29/97) - A winter road essential to the Sahtu region will open late and close early - and chew up more money than a GNWT official wants to imagine.

The Wrigley to Fort Norman road, which normally opens in mid-January ,won't be open until Feb. 6 at the earliest.

Trucks bearing heavy loads, fuel and dry goods - both government and private enterprise - depend on the road to service Norman Wells, Deline and Fort Norman.

Les Shaw, a Transportation Department superintendent based in Fort Simpson, says low snow accumulation in the Mackenzie River valley is hampering construction of river and stream crossings along the seasonal road.

"We're going down to the river and pushing up ice to the crossings and making access roads that way. It's a bigger process than simply using snow," said Shaw.

"More trucks and loaders are being used, so more workers are needed to operate the equipment. I wouldn't want to estimate how much it's costing."

Workers were dealt another blow last weekend when -46 C temperatures and a bitter wind-chill forced them to shut down equipment and stay indoors.

"What we really need to do is buy a few more bridges to put in, and that has been addressed, but it's a slow process," said Shaw.

Using bridges instead of ice to push across streams would save a lot of time and money in equipment and personnel. But bridges are expensive, so it's really a trade-off, he said.

And while the department hopes to open the road Feb. 6, they'll be lucky to get six good weeks out of it. The minister of transportation has already ordered most winter roads closed by March 17.

Shaw said he's fielded "a few" telephone calls from oil company executives asking the department to speed up road construction.

"We just can't. When we've gone ahead other years when there hasn't been enough snow, (the Department of) Fisheries charges us," he said.

Last year the territorial government and some private companies were charged under federal regulations for dumping dirt into streams and rivers.

"We're trying our best to work with them this year, although it's frustrating at times," said Shaw.

"When it does open, though, boy is it going to be busy," he added.

Across the rest of the Western Arctic, all other major winter roads are either in operation or nearing completion.