Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 09/04) - It is still safe to venture out onto the Dettah ice road, according to the Department of Transportation.

Mike Elgie, regional superintendent of transportation for the North Slave region, says it looks like another average closure year.

"There hasn't been a deterioration of the ice yet. The glaze is normal," he said of the ice surface.

Interestingly, Elgie said it is not the integrity of the ice which causes closure, but instead the depth of water on the ice surface.

"We close the Dettah ice road when there is 18 inches of water on it," he said.

Since it takes about two-feet of water to float a vehicle, Elgie said common sense should prevail when driving on the lake.

Another reason for ice road closure is the softening of the portages at the land's end, he said.

Dennis Kefalas, manager of the city's public works department, said the lake is not the city's responsibility. But the city does plow the road leading to the ice on a regular basis.

"But people use the road at their own risk," said Kefalas.

The Dettah ice road usually closes by mid-April every year.

The earliest it closed was March 20, 1985, while the latest closure was April 30, 2002.