Yellowknife (Apr 12/06) - Yellowknife's road link to the south will close to small vehicles at noon today.

"The surface of the crossing has slush and water on it and has become rough and rutted," said Art Barnes, South Slave regional superintendent for the Department of Transportation, in a release Tuesday.

Conditions on the crossing have deteriorated in recent days, Barnes said, and overnight freezing isn't enough to repair the damage done by warmer weather. Forecasts call for more temperatures above zero over the next week.

"Restricting access to the crossing is a necessary precaution to prevent small vehicles from getting damaged or stuck and for the safety of their occupants," Barnes said.

"It is an inconvenience, we realize that," said department spokesman Bob Kelly. "But we have to make decisions based on safety primarily."

It's possible the Fort Providence crossing will close to heavy vehicles this weekend, but Kelly said the department will continue to monitor conditions.

The ice road to Dettah also faces a similar watch, a department spokesman said.

"It's showing serious signs of deterioration," Kelly said.

The earliest the Fort Providence crossing has closed to all traffic was April 12, 1996. Last year the crossing closed to all traffic on April 19.