NNSL (Mar 27/98) - The territorial government is going to study the idea of an all-weather road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk once again this summer, much to the frustration of the community's mayor.

"With the amount of money they've spent on studies over the years, we could have built a road already," said Eddie Dillon this week. "It's been studied to death."

Residents of the community have been lobbying for a land link to the south for years to replace the river and air routes they must use when the ice road is closed in April. This week the Department of Transportation announced it would be studying the possibility of building that road, along with three others: an all-weather extension of the Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley to tie it into the Dempster, the Slave transportation corridor and the reconstruction of the winding Highway 3 between Yellowknife and Rae-Edzo.

The government has earmarked $2 million for the four projects. Ron Williams, deputy minister of Transportation, says the study will concentrate on how such a road would be built, its impact on the culture and economy of the community and perhaps most importantly, the cost and who would pay for it.

The territorial government has begun favoring cost-sharing arrangements with other bodies for such big projects and Williams says that will be one aspect of this summer's study.

"It will look at community involvement and possible investors in a road," Williams said from Yellowknife earlier this week.

"Perhaps the communities would invest in the road, or the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation could be involved. Those are the kinds of things that will be looked at."

IRC chairwoman Nellie Cournoyea was out of town this week and could not be reached for comment.

At the end, the studies will be used by the territorial government as a blueprint for what the project would require, if they go ahead, Williams said.

Dillon, though, said more studies, especially when part of the money is being used for southern roads whose needs are already established, are a waste.

"You can get an upgrade on the highway between Yellowknife and Rae for about $120 million, they already know that. They're talking about upgrading that, and we'd be happy with what they have."