Fort Simpson (Apr 17/06) - The ice road season has come to a slushy end, cutting off many communities.

The Mackenzie River crossing at Fort Providence closed to light traffic on April 12 and is expected to close for good noon Tuesday, if not before.

Current weather forecast suggests a gentle meltdown over the next few days, but Art Barnes, South Slave regional superintendent for the Department of Transportation, said that can turn around quickly.

"It's really up to what nature gives us for temperatures," said Barnes.

Once river water starts to build up along the shoreline, the whole crossing starts to melt. Holes develop in the ice which fill up with water, and things steadily get worse. A combination of the slush and water closes the road, said Barnes.

Last week, graders had been pushing the slush off the road two or three times a day.

"We just try to keep people safe," he said.

This year warm weather has affected both the opening and the closing of the ice bridge. The opening for the high load limit was delayed two weeks because warm temperatures in December and January limited natural ice development. The Liard River ice crossing at Fort Simpson is also starting to show signs of deterioration but it and the Ndulee crossing should stay open until April 22.

Winter roads to Gameti and Whati were expected to close over this past weekend.

In the Mackenzie Delta, warmer weather is making the Aklavik-Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk ice road more slippery, the Department of Transportation said.

There was an overflow problem on the Dempster Highway between km 20 and 24 in the gorge.

- with files from NNSL staff