Dettah road work to begin
Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 6, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Now that the winter freeze has set in, winter road construction crews are rolling out.
Those constructing the Dettah ice road are scheduled to begin testing the ice thickness along the road's planned route on Monday, said Michael Conway, regional superintendent for the Department of Transportation.
To be safe, at first crews will use an amphibious vehicle to drive the route and measure ice thickness using subsurface interface radar.
"They'll be looking for nice, smooth, consistent ice. Just because ice is 30 cm thick in one spot, doesn't mean it is in another," said Conway.
Once the ice measures 30 cm thick all along the right of way, construction can begin on the ice crossing.
If all goes to plan, the Dettah ice road will be open to the public between Dec. 18 and 20, said Conway.
