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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Road reconstruction on the Ingraham Trail is wrapping up for the year as crews hurried to complete work ahead of winter on the weekend.

Work crews use heavy machinery for a road reconstruction project on the Ingraham Trail about 30 km east of the Yellowknife River Bridge, Oct. 21. Traffic was several vehicles-deep on either side of the work area, and road conditions were muddy and rough. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

"On Ingraham Trail we are doing reconstruction work at the 35 to 40 kilometre mark," said Earl Blacklock, manager of public affairs and communications for the territorial Department of Transportation.

The $6.5 million two-year project will reconstruct five km of the trail in two stages.

"We take the top layer off and rebuild layers of foundation and then we put on a new top," he said, noting that no chipseal is laid down on the road until the second year due to budgeting.

Blacklock said the Ingraham Trail consists of three tops - chipseal, gravel, and pavement.

Blacklock also said that reconstruction work on the trail should be complete by now. Traffic was stopped for several minutes at a time in either direction on Sunday as work crews using heavy equipment spread a fresh layer of crushed rock across the road.

The gravel section of the road receives regular maintenance by the department every year by filling in potholes and ruts that may occur.

"Maintainer is going on all season," said Blacklock of the all-weather road. "Every gravel road needs to have maintenance."

For residents who drive the road every day, the gravel section of the road can be a hairy experience.

"It's built on permafrost so there is not much else we can do," said Joanna Tiemessen, a resident of Prelude Lake.

"The pot holes are good speed bumps. They invest money into it every year to keep it sustained but the heavy trucks take a load on it."

Tiemessen said the right-hand side of the road, leading out, is in rougher shape than the side leading in.

"I drive the roads every day so I know where the dips are and if you were driving it for the first time I'm sure you would turn around," she said, noting she has had to replace her windshield every couple of years and the shocks on her car frequently.

Tiemessen said she felt that the work being done on the road is just patchwork that has no progression towards a sustainable roadway. Blacklock noted the amount of roadwork done by the department on the Ingraham Trail is dependent on the amount of money it receives in federal funding and has in its budget. He noted that reconstruction is done before the conditions of the road get to a point that it can't support traffic any longer.

Blacklock said driving on the road in the winter should not be a problem.

"We want people to drive according to the conditions. If they encounter rough spots they need to ensure the safety of their passengers and the safety of other drivers on the road," he said.

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