Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 13/98) - Trailblazing work crews from the Dene Nation and Dogrib Rae Band are cutting their way across forests of bush in preparation for the restructuring of Highway 3.

Clearing the land is the first step to executing the GNWT Department of Transportation's extensive plans to straighten, widen and pave the 90-kilometre highway running from Yellowknife to Rae/Edzo.

Larry Purcka, program manager for the department of transportation in Yellowknife, said the department began investigating the possibility of reconstructing the road after it heard presentations in 1997 by the Dene Nation and Dogrib Rae that they wished to improve the road themselves. The department has since come up with a 10 to 13 year plan to widen, straighten and pave the highway which it will pay for and oversee.

Purcka said the road could be completed in six years if the GNWT accelerates its commitment of funding, but that has yet to be negotiated.

The department's main objective behind the extensive reconstruction plans is to improve the road's safety which has been a concern over the years.

"It's a very winding narrow road. Of those 90 kilometres there is approximately 163 curves. The sight distance is very poor, so you don't get a lot of warning for oncoming vehicles. You could be going along and think it's clear then they (oncoming traffic) comes right up on you," Purcka said, adding, "We have had a number of accidents."

Purcka said drilling and blasting through the rock to create a straighter route for the highway is costly, but the improvement will be well worth the price.

"There's about two fatalities a year on the highway and what price tag do you put on a life. When a 90 kilometre section has a stat like that, it's reason for concern."

The entire project Purcka estimates could cost from $67.5 million to $90 million.

"We can expect anywhere from $750,000 to $1 million per kilometre to reconstruct and put asphalt on the surface," said Purcka.

Approximately 49 kilometres of ground-breaking construction will be required to straighten the road which is to

be developed in sections.

The first 18 kilometres will be developed nearly simultaneously at each end of the highway from Yellowknife and Rae/Edzo and will meet in the middle upon total completion. The first sections includes 3 kilometres running from the Yellowknife airport entrance to the golf course and 13 kilometres running from Franks Channel outside of Rae/Edzo to Stag River.

Tendering for Yellowknife-side will take place in late November or early December with preparation for base construction projected to begin January 1999.

A portion of the road will require rock blasting to conform with plans to widen the entire highway. Purcka said the section is expected to be completed around the fall of 1999.

Construction on the section running from Rae is expected to begin in March 1999 and could be complete as early as the fall of 1999 or as late as July 2000, depending on the time it takes to fine tune design plans for the section.

The department has a basic design plan for the section, but it is leaving the details up to the contractor chosen to construct the road. Purcka said the department is prepared to award the contract to one of two applicants in the next two weeks and final design planning will take up to three months to complete before any physical construction begins.