Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Monday, July 14, 2008

ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD - Life in Fort Liard is getting back to normal and tourist numbers are starting to rise following the reopening of Highway 7.

The road was opened to light traffic weighing up to 5,000 kilograms on June 30.

Between May 22 and the end of June the road was closed to traffic on five separate occasions.

The trouble started when heavy rains worsened soft spots created when ice in the road thawed. The rains made the section of highway between kilometres 100 and 130 impassable, leading some to compare the conditions to a "bog."

While the road was closed the number of tourists in the community was noticeably lower than usual for that time of the year, said Eva Hope, interim general manager for Acho Dene Koe Native Crafts.

Tourists usually start to arrive in the community in mid-May, the same time that the road closed.

"It was just dead here," said Hope.

"Our sales are down because tourism is down."

While the road was closed Hope said she received a few calls from people in Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson, B.C., asking if the road was open. In addition to selling local crafts, the store also serves as the tourist information centre for the community.

Some tourists arrived in the community only to turn around and go back to Fort St. John, B.C., and then drive through Alberta on their way to Yellowknife, Hope said.

During the past week since the road opened tourist numbers have started to pick up, said Hope.

Although she's hopeful numbers will reach their normal levels, Hope said she's not confident tourists with large motorhomes will risk the highway conditions.

"I just hope the government will fix the road better than they did," said Hope.

As of July 8, staff at the Fort Nelson Visitor Information Centre were cautioning drivers about the condition of Highway 7.

The road is likely to be rough and muddy and when it rains it can be closed for up to a week, one staff member said when asked for advice about travelling the highway.

"We've had to tell quite a few people the road conditions aren't very good," she said.

Brad Giroux, the deputy mayor for the hamlet of Fort Liard, agrees the highway closure had a negative effect on the beginning of the tourism season.

"You generally see a lot more campers going through town," said Giroux.

Since the highway has reopened there's been a marked increase in tourists. Because the highway closure happened so early in the tourist season, Giroux said he thinks numbers for the rest of the summer will at least come close to previous levels.

"Unless we run into some more monsoons, I think traffic will pick back up," he said.

Other factors that the region has no control over, such as high gas prices, could still have a negative effect on tourism numbers, Giroux added.

Work on Highway 7 is ongoing.

"It's improved a great deal," said Peter Buell, regional superintendent of transportation.

"It's not as good as we want it and that's why we continue to work."

Repairs have reached a point that the highway is able to withstand some rain without deteriorating. The farther the repairs progress the less damage rain will be able to do, said Buell.

Currently gravel is being laid on the problem area of the highway to make it more stable.

Once that section is covered, gravel will be put on other areas, he said.

If work continues to progress the highway could be reopened by the end of next week to vehicles weighing up to 40,000 kilograms. That weight would accommodate fuel trucks and trucks carrying groceries, Buell said.

With the progress that's being made, the road might not experience any more closures for the rest of the summer, he said.

"I certainly can't guarantee it, but we've reached the point where I'm optimistic that's the case," said Buell.