| Abstract | Information on the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road north of Yellowknife was acquired by the author during a three-day field trip in March 2008. The construction and maintenance of this road, most of which is constructed over frozen lakes, is managed by the Joint Venture Management Committee (JVMC). It is a major access road to supply several mine sites. Build-up initiation occurs in December. When the ice thickness is deemed adequate, crews get on the ice with light vehicles. EBA engineers are in charge of design ice thickness, so as to ensure they can meet minimum ice thickness criteria. Flooding with pumps is used to improve ice surface quality and also increases the thickness of the ice cover. The ice road is a public-private road. Permitted speeds range from 10 to 35 km/h, but can go up to 60 km/h on expressways. Outstanding issues raised by JVMC include means of extending the season, how to mitigate the effects of blow-outs, and what is the role of load-induced crack accumulation. |
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