SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Two Yellowknife companies recently partnered to build an ice road cutting across Great Slave Lake to the site of Avalon Rare Metal's Nechalacho rare earths deposit, located 100 southeast of Yellowknife.

Deton' Cho Logistics and RTL Construction began plowing the approximately 130 km winter road several weeks ago, creating work for four people, said Matt Mossman, a managing partner with the logistics company.

The road - which breaks off the Dettah ice road at Dettah and turns south across Great Slave Lake until reaching the Hearne Channel - was created using two Hildebrand amphibious plows.

"As they go out, they do a profile of the ice," said Mossman. "Every three seconds, it gives them an indication of the depth of the ice. It's very safe because these machines are floatable."

The crew did encounter one roadblock, however.

"We ran into difficulty with a pressure ridge at Francois Bay a week and a half ago We had to come back and wait for the ice to get thicker, for that pressure crack to freeze."

All of which begs the question: why?

"The main purpose is to bring a second, 15,000 pound drill into camp, for two reasons," said David Connelly, a spokesperson for Avalon. "The main reason is to expand the number of trainees that (will be) trained under the Mine Training Society."

Last year, the society and Avalon partnered to train 12 men from Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah as driller's helpers.

"The other reason is we'll be able to double the amount of drilling and in particular we'll be able to drill deeper," said Connelly.

The road is already gaining some attention.

On Friday, three Deton' Cho Logistic trucks transported a documentary TV crew from France capturing life in the North up the road, in addition to Tracy Weslosky, a partner in the investment firm Weslosky & Cowans Ltd. and co-host of investment show Deal Flow, broadcast on CNBC.

Also present for the trek was YKDFN councillor Patrick Charlo, who said a brief prayer at the start of the journey.

"Right from Dettah all the way back over to the East Arm, there are a lot of spiritual sites and grave sites," said Charlo of the road, adding that YKDFN took an early look at the road plan to make sure the route did not trespass on any important sites.