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PAULATUK - A road that has been under construction for more than a decade is finally nearing completion in Paulatuk.

Mayor Ray Ruben said the "Rat Lake Road" as it is currently known, stretches about 10 kilometres from Paulatuk across the tundra to Rat Lake.

Workers recently finished building the road to their intended destination, a gravel source outside of Paulatuk. Although they have reached the source, there is still some work to be done.

The road originally began as an ATV trail towards the Hornaday River.

"The idea was to get a bike trail over there so people could go without getting lost," said Ruben.

The river has a beautiful gorge and is a popular destination for the tourists who make the journey to Paulatuk.

"Somewhere along the line we started recognizing that we needed the gravel and there was an excellent gravel source at Rat Lake, right in the trail to the river," said Ruben

The trail was then built up as a road in order to access a gravel source for the community.

Ruben said actual on-site work has been going on for about 15 years.

Work was mostly done during the short summer months. The hamlet's garage crew did most of the construction work.

Each year the Hamlet received between $40,000 and $50,000 from the NWT Department of Transportation to work on the road. Ruben said there has been a major push this year to complete the work because some larger projects within the community will require gravel.

The road has become a popular recreation trail for residents of Paulatuk. The trail winds up though the hills and provides great views of the seaside community, as well as views of the Hornaday River gorge.

"It's not only access to the gravel source but also a bit of sightseeing," said Ruben.

Angik school teacher Stephanie Kinney said she and her husband have been using their new ATV on the road regularly. Kinney said getting a little ways out of town and into nature can be a great change of pace at the end of the day. She said it is a winding road that is fun to drive. "From a few points along the road you can see the town. It's beautiful and kind of refreshing."

Kinney said she often sees foxes while driving and recently saw a grizzly.

Some recent washouts have put a slight damper on completing the job, according to Ruben.

He predicted that if all goes as planed the road will be complete next summer:

"I'm not saying were done. We're planning for an official opening date. Hopefully on a warm day next July we'll officially declare it open."