INUVIK
After a two-day tour of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, territorial officials say they're satisfied with what they saw of the $299-million project.

Lands Minister Robert C. McLeod was one of several territorial leaders on a two-day tour of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway March 17. The $299-million project is progressing well, according to those who attended. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Kurt Wainman, the president of Northwind Industries, which is part of a joint partnership responsible for constructing the road, briefed the officials on the progress of the project in the south end.

Fourteen kilometres of challenging terrain have now been completed, he said, and the work is now entering easier, flatter terrain.

Wainman said both the weather and the terrain have slowed the work on the road considerably, if you look at it from the perspective of distance built, but tremendous amounts of fill have had to be trucked in to keep the road at the proper standard in the valley and hills his workers have covered.

The elevation along this section of the highway is considerably higher than on the north end near Tuktoyaktuk, he added. There, the terrain is more like building a road in Saskatchewan, Wainman added.

Now, with the most challenging terrain out of the way and the highway on top of a plateau 14 kilometres outside of Inuvik, the work will become much easier and the company can start making more noticeable progress in terms of distance covered, he said.

Work has also been slowed somewhat by the distance Northwind workers have had to travel to adjacent gravel pits. However, a new supply has just been opened that is much closer to the work area and has added up to record hauls of fill over the last few nights.

Transportation Minister Tom Beaulieu said he was pleased with what he had seen on the tour and had no doubts the project could finish by its deadline in 2017.

"I'm impressed with the distance that's been covered so far, especially in the south end," Beaulieu said. "Last time we came, they had just cleared off and done some brushing. My understanding is that the pace in the south end will now pick up, and I think we're on target to have 42 kilometres of highway left to do by the end of this construction season.

"I have no concerns at all. I'm pleased that it's on target," he continued. "That's been a big issue for people in terrain that hasn't been built on before anywhere in the world. It's something completely new."

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins is the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure, which serves as the overseer of the project.

"We've been very curious as the development (of this project), and there's only so much you can see in charts and reports. It's very important to get on the ground to see how the project has been developing," Hawkins said.

"The Tuk side has been progressing further in terms of distance covered," he said. "But when you think about the volume of material and the work that goes into it, the Inuvik side is progressing at a similar pace.

"I've been quite impressed so far with the quality of work being done," he added, comparing the project to building the English Channel Tunnel.

He pointed out the quality and availability of gravel sources has been a challenge for the project, particularly in the south end, where it has a high moisture content, which makes it more difficult to work with.

Initial projections for the highway predicted 20 kilometres or more of road could be built from each end of the project per year.

Hawkins said those numbers haven't been met but added it's a question of perspective.

The first season of construction in 2013-2014 was a learning experience hampered by a warmer-than-normal winter and the need for the companies to set up and begin operations, he said.

"Last year was a learning year," Hawkins said. "Now you can see they're starting to catch up. There's another month or so left in the construction season. I don't see the progress as a problem. I want to stress that."

The project is employing about 220 people on the south end, and about 80 per cent of those people have been recruited from around the Delta.

Marty Verbonac, one of the Northwind staff members supervising the project, said the work has had a huge impact on Inuvik. Without it, the only business that would be booming would be the plywood market, since many people would have to board their houses up, he said.

"The only employer left would be the government," he said.

More than 600 people are working on the project in total, Beaulieu said.