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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Tibbitt-to-Contwoyto winter road is scheduled to open within a couple day from when it did last year, Ingraham Trail residents were told during an informational meeting Monday.

The Tibbitt-to-Contwoyto winter road is set to open on Feb. 1. The road is open to the public, though travellers are urged to be cautious when sharing the road with heavy equipment such as this fuel hauler, pictured here near a portage along the road during the 2010 season. - photo courtesy of the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Joint Venture

Only two residents attended the meeting, which was held for them to voice any concerns they might have about the winter road and its affect on the Ingraham Trail. This is a sign that people are happy with the way heavy-loads are being hauled through the area, said Ron Near, director of winter road operations for the Tibbitt-to-Conwoyto Joint Venture.

Last year, the road opened on Jan. 28, where this year it is scheduled to open Feb. 1.

However, this projected opening date is "totally dependent on construction and weather," said Near.

"Right now, everything is looking good."

Once construction is complete and the winter road opens, it is subject to lighter loads for the first two days. On day one, four trucks will leave Yellowknife every four hours. Day two, there will be four trucks dispatched every two hours. By the third day, industrial traffic between the city and the mines will be running at full capacity, with convoys of four trucks being deployed every 40 minutes.

No joint venture transport trucks will use the Ingraham Trail from 7 to 8 a.m. or from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, to allow for commuter traffic in and out of Yellowknife, said David Madder, Yellowknife dispatch supervisor for the winter road.

Also, while on the Ingraham Trail, all trucks must call out their kilometers on their VHF radios to keep other traffic informed of where they are and there must also be one km distance between all trucks within a convoy.

To keep track of traffic along the road, Madder and his colleagues monitor a real-time electronic dispatch system. This monitoring system is three years old, and has reportedly helped enforce the rules of the road.

"If there is and incident, the truckers are very aware that we can pretty much pinpoint who it is," said Madder.

If a truck is observed breaking any of the rules of the road or creating safety or environmental concerns, people are urged to contact the joint venture with their complaint.

All drivers are issued a number, which they must display in the window of their trucks. It is helpful to note the number when making a complaint, said Madder. However, if that isn't possible, noting the time, the mile marker and what place the truck was in the convoy will allow officials to track down who is responsible.

The secondary route through Prosperous Lake is used only for southbound empty trucks. For this reason, it is recommended that recreational traffic only use the secondary route to travel south, so they are with the flow of traffic.

As the road is on government land, members of the public may use it. However, Madder urged anyone planning to use it to plan well and use caution.

"There is a lot of equipment on the road," he said. "If you are going to travel the winter road, you should invest in a VHF radio."

Between 6,300 and 6,500 loads for the joint venture companies are scheduled to make their way along the winter road this season – slightly less than last year, said Near.

"A considerable amount of backhaul is coming out of all of the mines (this year), but particularly out of Snap Lake," said Near.

There will also be some unusually large loads being sent up the winter road this year, said Near. All of the mines are bringing in large equipment, most notably Diavik, which is using the road to haul in its wind turbines. It will also bring in a 300-foot crane that will assemble the turbines on site. The crane alone will take about 30 loads.

In addition to joint venture traffic, the NWT Power Corporation, which is in the second year of making repairs to its Bluefish dam, will have many loads to bring in and out.

If all goes to schedule, the winter road season will come to and end around March 20 to 21. In 2011, the season ended on March 31. This is due to financial reasons more than warming trends, said Near.

In recent years, Nuna Logistics has looked at ways to build the roads thicker and stronger so that they can last longer into a warm spring.

2006 has been the worst season for the road as far a spring temperatures causing delays and cost overruns.

"The weather we can't control," said Near. "But there's no indication that that's going to happen again this year."

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