Yellowknife (May 10/04) - Almost $38 million has been budgeted for improvements to NWT highways this year.

The work includes $14.5 million for Highway 3.

Kilometres 272 to 292, which were reconstructed last year, will be chipsealed. Kilometres 292 to 322 will be reconstructed.

"So if everything goes well, we hope to have the entire highway chipsealed by the fall of 2005," says Daniel Auger, the assistant deputy minister of Transportation.

Major work on the highway between Rae-Edzo and Yellowknife began in 1999.

On Highway 4, the Ingraham Trail, $3 million will reconstruct and widen a section from the Yellowknife River Bridge to the Dettah Access Road. The work is set for kilometres 7-14.

"Those are expected to be completed by fall," Auger says, noting the work will include re-chipsealing.

Chipseal maintenance

For Highways 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, $3 million has been allocated to maintain existing chipseal.

On Highway 7, the Fort Liard Highway, $2 million will be spent on preliminary design and surveys for reconstructing the section from the B.C. border to kilometre 37.5.

Quarries will open and crushing will begin.

"That section is in bad shape because of lots of activity by the oil and gas sector," says Auger.

On the Dempster Highway, $5 million will go towards reconstructing and widening the highway from the Yukon border to kilometre 7, and from kilometres 113-116.

In addition, $4 million will be spent for various work on approaches to 19 crossings on the Mackenzie winter road bridge system.

Finally, on Highway 5 to Fort Smith, $300,000 will be spent to replace two large culverts.

Significant portion

The $37.9 million to be spent on improvements is a significant portion of the Department of Transportation's overall $47.8-million budget.

Most of the money comes from the territorial government's capital budget, while $14.1 million this year comes from the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.