SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Spring will be begin with a bang at the Ingraham Trail realignment project as crews hurry to complete blasting work ahead of camping season at Fred Henne Territorial Park.
Kevin McLeod, director of highways and marine services for the Department of Transportation, told Yellowknifer that the joint venture with Det'on Cho Corporation is "going really well," but residents can expect blasting to occur near the park with the "biggest blasts" happening over the next few weeks.
He said the newly exposed rock face should make for an impressive entrance to the city where it intersects with Highway 3 at kilometre 337.
Although Fred Henne's base operations are not particularly close to the construction site, the park land, including the Prospector's Trail, borders the new road. McLeod hopes that the development will help draw tourists and locals alike to the area since it should be easier to access.
"This project will allow the city to expand in the next 10 or 15 years and will open up some of the (Fred Henne Territorial) park to more visitors," McLeod said.
The $16-million project will connect the current Ingraham Trail route to Highway 3, crossing Baker Creek and the Prospector's Trail. A gravel road will be open to traffic by this fall, according to McLeod, with surfacing work to be completed in the summer of 2014. The work was approved last year with the aim of bypassing Giant Mine where clean-up work is expected to last a decade.
"Construction is progressing on time and on budget," said McLeod. "We had anticipated a slow-down over the winter, but Det'on Cho decided they wanted to work through the cold to keep their machines running and employees working, so we're all on track."
Tracy St. Denis, North Slave regional superintendent for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, doesn't anticipate any impact on the operation of the park this summer as a result of the ongoing construction.
"The core operations of the park are far enough away that we won't see any traffic congestion," she said. "Prospector's Trail will be opened up at that end of the park, but we're not seeing any operational interference at this time."
