Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 18/02) - The recent spate of cold weather is coming as a blessing for those concerned with the completion of both the Mackenzie River and Tibbitt-Contwoyto ice roads.

Director of marine services with the Department of Transportation, Les Shaw, expects the ice road over the Mackenzie River to open to light traffic up to 5,000 kilograms by the end of next week.

"With the cold weather, that will really speed things up," said Shaw.

The ferry crossing meanwhile, despite slightly lowered water levels than expected, is still up and running, and should remain so until the ice road is complete.

Kirk McLellan, logistics manager for Echo Bay Mines Ltd., expects tractor-trailers to begin taking partial loads on the Tibbitt-Contwoyto ice road as early as Jan. 24.

"We have a pick-up truck road all the way up to Lac de Gras now," said McLellan.

Even though record high temperatures were recorded during the month of December, McLellan said completion of the ice road is coming together more smoothly than it did the year before.

Ice road to Lac de Gras did not open to traffic until mid-February last winter.

"It was a bad year," said McLellan, referring to unseasonable temperatures all winter-long, and the death of a road worker who froze to death when his tractor grader fell through the ice near Tibbitt Lake.

Even though the 340- kilometre road is close to completion, McLellan recommended the public stay off it until it officially opens.

"It's our preference that none of the public go on the road until it's open," said McLellan. "There's still a lot of construction going on."