Ice woes

Road behind schedule, three snowcat incidents

Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 19/01) - Snowcats, the equipment used in building the Lupin ice road, have broken through the ice three times during current construction of the mine artery.

The second of the three incidents led to the Dec. 22 death of Guyle Armstrong of Lloydminster, Alta.

Facts - Some 7,362 truckloads of fuel, mining supplies and machinery -- a record -- are scheduled to move up the 2001 Lupin ice road. - Diavik leads the pack with 3,799 loads planned. BHP Diamonds is next at 2,763 while Echo Bay Mines plans 600 loads. Snap Lake owner De Beers, and others, anticipate about 200 loads. - Last year, 1,844 truckloads of materials were hauled up the ice road. - Under a comanagement agreement between Echo Bay Mines, which owns the Lupin gold mine, and BHP Diamonds, majority owner and operator of the Ekati diamond mine, Nuna Logistics is contracted to build the ice road.

Armstrong managed to get out of the water after the snowcat he was aboard broke through the ice and went to the bottom of Dome Lake, located 29 kilometres off the end of the Ingraham Trail, but he later collapsed and died. The Workers' Compensation Board is investigating the fatality.

"Two (other Snowcats) broke the ice but did not go through," Kirk McLellan, Echo Bay Mines logistics manager said Wednesday.

McLellan said there have been instances in previous years where equipment punched a wheel through the ice.

Despite a cold snap in December and early January, weather conditions have hampered the building of the ice road, McLellan adds.

"We're probably 10 days behind schedule," he said. Above normal temperatures and heavy snowfall, which acts as an insulator, are slowing ice-making. Last year, the ice road opened to light loads Jan. 20. In 1999, light loads were moving up the route Jan. 28 (1998: Jan. 19).

As for the 10-day delay, although it compresses the ice-road schedule, it is not necessarily bad, according to McLellan.

A later opening, combined with storms which halt truck traffic "tightens the supply window."

"Historically, the openings bounce all over the place."

Hundreds of trucks per day

When the window closes is also unknown. Under licence requirements, the ice road cannot be open past April 15.

Asked if he was concerned about failing to have enough of a window for complete resupply, McLellan said: "Every year we've been able to get enough ice and enough time to complete resupply."

So far, mining companies plan to haul a record 7,362 loads up the ice road. On average, the Lupin ice road is open for two months.

To put the ice road's potential in perspective, MCLellan said if 12 trucks were dispatched per hour, some 288 trucks a day could be en route to there destination. Over 60 days, that equates to 17,280 truckloads.