Yellowknife (Dec 11/06) - Winter roads provide vital access to communities throughout the NWT, but they also create vital employment.

With more than 20 contracts awarded annually for ice road construction and maintenance, there are a considerable number of jobs created, said Bob Kelly, manager of public affairs and communications with the territorial Department of Transportation.

Merven Gruben, director of transport for E. Gruben's Transport said 12 employees will be kept busy throughout the winter doing constant maintenance on the ice road to Tuktoyaktuk from just outside Inuvik. There are more than 20 different contracts that private companies take on to build and maintain winter routes around the NWT. - NNSL file photo

"It enables local companies to hire local people," he said.

E. Gruben's Transport normally employs an average of 12 people per year for winter road construction and maintenance, said Merven Gruben, director of transport for the company.

Workers are needed to operate plows and snowcats, provide logistics support and maintain and repair vehicles, he said.

"Once we start, we're working around the clock, 24 hours a day," he said.

The company is responsible for construction and maintenance of a 135 kilometre winter route to Tuktoyaktuk from outside of Inuvik, he said.

Plowing for the road began two weeks ago, he said, adding the road already opened to light vehicle traffic last Monday. Robert Dean, owner of the contracting company Stan Dean and Sons Ltd., currently has a crew of 12 working on a winter road contract between Tulita and Deline.

The company also has a contract to construct and maintain the Whati/Gameti winter road, which connects the Tlicho communities with Highway 3, Yellowknife and points south, he said.

Last year, due to warm weather, the company employed up to 30 people for construction and constant maintenance of the road.

While there were more workers last season, keeping the road up and running is essential, said Dean.

"The ice roads can be a pretty vital link," he said.

In Fort Good Hope, Arctic Circle Enterprises is responsible for a winter road which runs 75 kilometres south of the hamlet, halfway to Norman Wells, said company manager Heather Bourassa.

"This year, we've had good luck. Freeze up was really good."

As of last week the company had cleared more than 50 kilometres of the route and it hoped its workers would be finished this week. While only three people are employed to build and maintain this route, the link is still important to connect communities in the Sahtu, she said.

The opening and closing of winter roads is monitored by the NWT Department of Transportation, which posts status updates for each on its website.