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The Dettah Ice Road, seen here during the winter of 2011/12, is expected to be open by this weekend. - NNSL file photo

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Construction crews are hard at work on the Dettah ice road and hope to have the winter access open by this weekend, says a Department of Transportation official.

The ice road construction effort began on Dec. 12, when crews used ground-penetration radar to measure ice thickness, said James MacKenzie, a spokesperson for the department. Crews began plowing the road last Friday and had cleared 4.2 kilometres of the 6.2-kilometre-long roadway as of press time.

"There are a few rough patches on it so they still need to do some flooding and they're aiming to have it open by the weekend, at the latest," said MacKenzie. "During the profiling, the least thick ice was 35 cm, which is going to be allowing us to open the road to light vehicle traffic, which is like a Ford F-150."

As roadwork continues, the department is urging all motorists to refrain from using the road before it is ready. Signs posted at the Yellowknife and Dettah on-ramps to the road will show if the road is open and how much weight it can hold, he added.

"Just keep an eye on the signs," said MacKenzie.

In case a personal appeal for safe driving isn't enough to dissuade drivers wanting to use the Dettah ice road before it officially opens, RCMP will be applying steep penalties for any drivers caught on the road.

"Be advised that Yellowknife detachment and G Division traffic services are on patrol, along with municipal enforcement in Yellowknife and anybody who is on the roadway before it is officially opened by the Department of Transportation will be charged," said Const. Todd Scaplen of G Division traffic services.

The fine for driving on the road before it is open is $863 under seasonal highway regulations.

Further, penalties for speeding on an ice road at any time of the year are significantly more than speeding fines on regular roadways, said Scaplen. For example, a driver will incur a $58 fine for driving up to 10 km per hour over the limit on a Yellowknife street, while the same infraction on an ice road brings a $230 penalty.

Drivers speeding between 11 km per hour and 20 km per hour on an ice road can receive a $460 fine, being caught driving 21 km per hour to 35 km per hour over the limit brings an $863 fine and driving more than 35 km per hour over the limit on an ice road leads to an automatic court appearance, he said.

The speed limit for the Dettah ice road, once it is open, will be 40 km per hour, said MacKenzie.

"It's a huge deterrent to get people to keep to the speed limits that are set by the Department of Transportation on any particular ice road," said Scaplen. "Because you're actually driving on a sheet of ice that's on water, you have to keep your speeds down because you don't want to create a wake of water underneath the ice that can cause that ice to rupture and therefore either pose a danger to yourself for one, or the vehicle behind you. If that rupture hits the shoreline and comes back, the force of the water underneath can actually make the ice road smash and break apart."

Every year some drivers risk the crossing before the road is open, said Scaplen. Even if the driver makes it through without incident, the wake they create could damage the ice road and delay the opening, he said.

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