• First year constructed – 1982
  • Original purpose – supply the Lupin Gold Mine at Contwoyto Lake, Nunavut Territory
  • Length – 600 kilometres (360 miles) to Lupin with route being 87% over lake ice
  • Width – 50 metres (160 feet) on lakes , narrower on portages (12-15 metres) 25-45 feet
  • Ice thickness – Engineer proven to support light vehicle loads at 70 cms (27-28 inches) increasing to full highway truck loads as the ice thickens, often exceeding 107 cms (42 inches)
  • Speed limits on ice – Loaded trucks – 25 km/hr (15 mph) with some areas 10 km/hr; empty trucks – 60 – 70 km/hr (35 mph) on “Express Lanes” – which are return (southbound lanes) built on larger lakes
  • Speed limits on land (portages) – Mandatory portage speed is 30 km/hr, with trucks having to slow to 10 km/hr on and off portage
  • Number of Portages – 64 portages are located along the route
  • Maintenance Camps – Three camps that can accommodate 49 personnel in each are located at Dome Lake, Lockhart Lake and Lac de Gras
  • Manager – Joint Venture Management Committee (JVMC) comprised of BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc., Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. and DeBeers Canada Inc.
  • Road Constructor – Nuna Logistics Ltd (main route), RTL Robinson Enterprises Ltd. (secondary route) are contracted by the JVMC
  • Engineering – EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd.
  • Security – Deton Cho /Scarlet Security Services, historically SECURECheck (2000 – 2009)
Here, a driver arrives at the Lockhart camp, one of two rest stops.

Historical Winter Road Statistics (2002-2012)

YearOperating PeriodTotal Tonnes Hauled (northbound)Number of Truckloads (northbound)Number of Backhauls (southbound)
2002Jan 26 – Apr 16256,9157735433
2003Feb 1 – Apr 2198,8185243883
2004Jan 28 – Mar 31179,1445091165
2005Jan 26 – Apr 5252,5337607243
2006Feb 5 – * Mar 26177,6746841469
2007Jan 27 – Apr 9330,00210,922818
2008Jan 29 – Mar 31245,5857484890
2009Feb 1 – Mar 22173,1954847530
2010Feb 4 – March 21120,0203508429
2011Jan 28 – March 31239,0006832530
2012Feb 1 – March 31210,1886551648