Dawn Ostrem

Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 05/00) - 'Tis the season' for road closures and this year the season will be falling earlier than usual.

"I'd say in all likelihood we'll set a record this year," said Art Barnes, territorial regional superintendent for the Department of Transportation.

The earliest recorded road closure was April 14 in 1992 for the Mackenzie River crossing.

The department issued a road report Monday that stated that crossing at Fort Providence was scheduled for closure Tuesday.

The Dettah ice road is currently open to a load limit of 48,000 kilograms and closed to all light traffic under 2,500 kilograms.

"This spring has been particularly hard to predict," Barnes said Monday, but added he is certain total closures will certainly be within a week.

The earlier-than-usual closures will not have much of an effect on residents or businesses, according to Barnes.

"It may put people in a bit of a rush to try and prepare," he said. "It won't create too many shockwaves. Instead of stockpiling huge amounts shopkeepers will probably fly it in. For heavier goods there is a bit of a time factor when waiting for the ferry."

The Fort Providence ferry will likely be up and running in three to four weeks depending on what Barnes reiterated as "unpredictable" weather conditions.

The 567-kilometre Lupin ice road, a private passage used by Echo Bay Mines Ltd., Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. and BHP Diamonds Inc., is expected to close today, according to Echo Bay purchasing and logistics manager Kirk McLellan.

All but Diavik have hauled all of the needed materials until the road opens again next year.

"Because of lost shipping time we won't get as much shipping done as we expected this year," said Diavik spokesperson Tom Hoefer. Complicated by an environmental agreement, which delayed transport time, Diavik is left with materials needed for the construction of the mine not yet on site.

It's intention in January was to get as many as 1,300 loads to the mine site, which is 289 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, but were only successful in getting approximately 900 hauled.

"Our hope is that the weather will hold out and that we'll finish hauling what we've got to haul," Hoefer said Monday. "I don't know if we ever had a best-case scenario. When we would lose the road was always an unknown."

The ice road across Great Slave Lake connecting Hay River and Yellowknife, constructed by RTL Robinson Enterprises in order to transport equipment manufactured for Diavik in Hay River, closed last week.

Diavik intended to haul 23 large fuel tanks to its mine site but were only able to haul 16 of those this year. Hoefer said he doesn't know if another road linking the communities will be constructed next year.

"The remaining bigger loads will eventually be hauled up but I don't know what the plan is yet," he said.