Jason Unrau
Northern News Services
Friday, July 20, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - High volumes of winter traffic to re-supply diamond mines in the territories has taken a toll on the Ingraham Trail.

Last year alone, 10,000 18-wheeler loads of material and fuel travelled the highway, which links to the annual winter road.

Charlotte Overvold halts cars driving north on the Ingraham Trail on July 11 while Department of Transportation road crews work. - Jason Unrau/NNSL photo

Huge stretches of gravel, washboard conditions and buckling from permafrost changes under the highway can make it a treacherous journey in even the best weather conditions.

"We went out on Sunday and it was really awful (and) we've been going up that road for 30 years and it's never been that bad," said Eva Henderson, who operates a bed and breakfast in Yellowknife with her husband Eric. "I know they're working on it but we're thinking, Who's paying for this? Are the diamond companies paying for this (maintenance)?"

According to Kevin McLeod, director of highways for the NWT, by the end of next year $11.8 million will have been invested in improvements and upgrades for the trail - a scenic route that includes two campgrounds and several day parks - but those funds come directly from the Department of Transportation's (DOT) $60 million annual budget.

"We have not gone to (the mines) and asked them for money and they have not come to us to ask for massive improvements that are not over our budget," said McLeod. "(The Ingraham Trail) is one of our major projects over the next little while... the federal government talked about a $2 billion national infrastructure fund and we agree that the DOT will get a portion of that so we'll continue to improve that highway for many years."

But for the Hendersons, who have stopped suggesting their guests take a drive down the Ingraham Trail due to the state of the road, the repairs cannot come soon enough.

"We're in the tourist business and we can't possibly recommend this trip to anybody. The road's much worse than the Dempster Highway," said Mr. Henderson of the 770-kilometre dirt road linking Inuvik to the Klondike Highway in Yukon. "We wouldn't tell people to go up the Ingraham Trail because it's simply not good enough."

Speaking on the issue of making the trail safer for motorists, McLeod told Yellowknifer that the DOT, Yellowknives Dene, and Indian and Northern Affairs are in consultations to straighten the road at the stretch straddling Giant Mine.