Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Sep 09/02) - First they got names, now they're getting a facelift.

After completing a test strip on Aug. 1, city crews started laying out pavement along small portions of Iqaluit's streets.

This year's paving project should be completed by the end of September.

The strips of asphalt put down in 2002 will cover two kilometres and cost $2 million.

The city's director of engineering, Matthew Hough, said he would never recommend paving all of Iqaluit's streets to city council, not when it cost $1 million to pave each kilometre of road.

"Attempting to pave every road is insane," said Hough. "If Iqaluit grows to the size of Yellowknife, you might see that kind of infrastructure in place."

The seven-year paving project started last summer. It will result in 10 kilometres of paved road and $10 million spent.

At the end of this season, there should be a total of three kilometres paved.

The areas being worked right now go from the Four Corners to the Government of Canada Building, from Northmart to the entrance of Happy Valley, and from the Fire Hall to the booster station.

Baffin Building Systems won the contract for the job. All the equipment used for the project belongs to the company.

Hough said secondary roads will only receive some minor work in September. The problem with those roads lies in the combination of silt and crushed rock used to create them. The materials tend to wash away.

The washboard streets are made even worse because Iqaluit does not use any agent to bind all the materials together. Traffic flows in the city aren't helping either -- more cars mean more potholes.

The city expects the paving program will continue through the summer of 2007.