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Consistent cold equals quality ice Industry looks forward to a good season for the Tibbitt-to-Contwoyto winter road
Lyndsay Herman
"It give us an advantage on the construction process," said Tim Tattrie, winter road project manager for Nuna Logistics Ltd. "It take so much time to get us up to the proper thickness of ice so that the loads can travel the ice. The cold weather actually increases the depth early on and, once we get in and start constructing the actual roadway, it just enhances the build." De Beer's preliminary winter road plan calls for 1,450 loads to the Snap Lake Mine and Gahcho Kue Project advanced exploration camp at Kennedy lake, according to Terry Kruger, senior communications specialist for De Beers Canada. The plan includes 875 fuel loads carrying a total of 34.5 million litres of fuel and 450 general freight loads to Snap Lake Mine. Ron Near, director of winter road operations for the Tibbitt-to-Contwoyto Winter Road Joint Venture, said an excess of 7,000 loads are expected to cross the system for all parties involved in the joint venture, amounting to about 230,000 tonnes of freight – comparable to last year, he said. Tattrie said the road, which services the diamond mines north of Yellowknife, needs to reach a minimum of 41 inches of ice before its declared "highway legal" and trucks can transport their heaviest loads The minimum thickness for access is 28 inches but the weight restrictions at that point would likely not make fiscal sense for most trucking companies transporting freight, he added. As such, companies usually transport bulky, light objects first and then move to heavier loads, such as Super-B train trucks transporting diesel, once the ice thickens. While current cold temperatures could mean efficient construction on the road, Tattrie said there is such a thing as too cold. "If it gets really cold, usually around -35 C to -40 C, in that range, we usually reduce the crew," he said. "Sometimes if its colder than -40 C with the windchill we won't let crews actually go out and work on the roads. We'll stay in the maintenance hanger and work on equipment that may have been broken or damaged. "Cold weather does affect our equipment. The colder it is – hydraulic lines will snap and blades will break – it just makes everything that much more brittle." Temperatures that rise and drop quickly can cause the ice to expand and contract in such a way that results in cracks or pressure ridges. Tattrie said the idea temperature range for work crews and the ice is between -20 and -30 C. "The crews are all eager to get out there and get building," said Tattrie. "They always are. They enjoy this part of the year and they enjoy the challenge of building a huge project. We're looking forward to getting in, breaking for Christmas, and then starting off (again in January) and getting the road done."
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