TTHENAAGO/NAHANNI BUTTE - The community of Nahanni Butte, along with territorial ministers and other guests, celebrated the opening of their new access road on Oct. 5.

Recreation co-ordinator George Tsetso said residents of Nahanni Butte have been looking forward to the road's opening.

"It's going to give us access to the outside world," he said.

The road has been under construction since 1996, the NWT transport department's communications manager Earl Blacklock said.

"This has been an ongoing project," he said.

Since that time, about $3.5 million has been spent on its construction, he said. The new road was built over the former winter road.

Blacklock said the majority of the work was done in 2009, with completion work performed this year.

Except for a few weeks in the spring and again in the fall, the road is now a year-round, permanent connection to Highway 7.

"It's good," Chief Fred Tesou said. "It's one step toward the future."

Tsetso said residents will now have better access to goods and services outside the community, as trips to Nahanni Butte were previously made either by plane for by boat, usually from Blackstone Territorial Park.

"I think it's going to make living a little easier, going shopping for groceries and stuff like that," he said.

Tsetso said having a permanent road will also allow more people to visit Nahanni Butte, such as family members from other communities.

"It won't be as costly as flying," he said.

It will also mean better turnouts when the community holds gatherings, Tsetso said.

"It really makes it a lot easier for when we have celebrations, grand openings or special cultural gatherings and stuff like that. It will have people coming in for those occasions."

However, the community is still separated from the access road by the Liard River, Tsetso said.

"You can only go as far as to the river, which is about nine km from the highway, then somebody has to pick you up in a boat," he said. "So you have to call the community and get somebody to pick you up to get you across the river into town."

Though the community lacks a ferry system, Tsetso said residents enjoy the security of knowing who is entering and leaving the community.

"It's nice that way because we know people coming in and out and we have a little bit of control on that," he said.

Transportation Minister Michael McLeod and MLA Kevin Menicoche both attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony held in the afternoon of Oct. 5.

During the ceremony, elder Elsie Marcellais and McLeod both cut the ribbon to open the new road.

Former MLA Jim Antoine and Grand Chief Sam Gargan were also invited, but were unable to attend due to the DehCho First Nations Leadership meeting in Fort Providence, Tsetso said.

Even though not everyone was able to attend, Tsetso said the ceremony was "a blast."

"It was great," he said.

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