Jessica Gray
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 18/06) - Warm weather has delayed construction on the winter road to the diamond mines and could spell trouble for the plan to haul a record 9,000 loads.

Tom Hoefer, manager of external and internal affairs at Diavik Diamond Mines, is helping to co-ordinate the logistics of hauling 9,000 loads to the mines this year.

"We're looking at early or mid-February (to open the road), which is a little late," says Tom Hoefer, manager of external and internal affairs of Diavik Diamond Mines.

Construction of the Northern section of the road started last week and according to an update from the Diavik Diamond Mines web site, the road will open the middle of February.

"The perfect season is January to Mid April," said Hoefer.

Hoefer says he isn't worried about logistics yet because the road could handle as many as 12,000 loads in a season.

But if the weather continues to be unseasonably warm, alternative schedules for sending trucks with essentials like fuel will have to be discussed, he said.

The previous record was set in 2001 with more than 8,000 loads. The reason for the increase in loads sent this year is the number of mining projects nearing critical stages.

De Beers Snap Lake project is scheduled for completion in 2007. The company will send up 2,000 trucks this year, 600 of them tankers carrying 21 million litres of fuel.

Cathie Bolstad, manager of public and corporate affairs for De Beers, says this is the largest load De Beers has sent on the winter road.

Each truck is considered one load and can carry everything from fuel, mining equipment, and camp supplies to destinations on the 537-kilometre road.

The road has been used for more than 20 years. It takes about a month to construct. Several teams are stationed along the way to maintain the road during the season.

Currently, the winter road is driven in three stages. The first Yellowknife to the Mackenzie River, then to Rae-Edzo, and then on to the mines. The road is scheduled to carry light loads in early to mid-February according to the committee that manages the road. This is 10 days later than normal.