Warm weather melting the ice
Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Apr 11/01) - An ice road in Yellowknife and one to Wha Ti won't likely be around this weekend.
Warm weather means both are melting fast, and certainly won't make it to last winter's April 20 closing, said Transportation department spokesperson Mike Elgie.
There are 15 centimetres (six inches) of water on each end of the ice road that crosses Yellowknife Bay to Dettah.
"Once that water gets around a foot deep we'll have to close it because the little cars can't make it through," he said Tuesday.
"We'll monitor it and see how much it degrades."
If warm weather continues, the Dettah road and the 193-kilometre road to Wha Ti may close on Thursday, Elgie said. Until then, vehicles that weigh less than 50,000 kilograms can continue to use the road.
The Mackenzie River crossing at Fort Providence is open to 64,000 kilograms, but an April 10 report describes it as "rough," with water, slush and potholes.
The approaches are especially bad. The highways department warns motorists to watch for crews working. A spokesperson wasn't available to comment on when ferry service can be expected to start.
