Winter Road - Updates

Date	Details
April 3, 2008	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD (NUNA Logistics Ltd) There was very minimal haul traffic using the road this past week. Winter road camps continued with equipment maintenance, inventory counts and other preparations for eventual camp closing, which is planned for April 8th. Final northbound loads and backhaul paper work is still being received and checked but as of March 31st there had been 7387 loads dispatched north and a total of 868 backhauls completed for a total northbound and southbound load count of 8255 and total tonnage of 259,855. The Yellowknife Dispatch was closed for the season at 1800 hrs, on March 31st. Ads are being placed on the radio and in the local paper that the road will be officially closed for Commercial haul traffic for the season effective Monday April 7th and that the public uses this road after this date at their own risk. SECONDARY ROUTE (RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD) Ads are being placed on the radio and in the local paper that the road will be officially closed for Commercial haul traffic for the season effective Monday April 7th and that the public uses this road after this date at their own risk. See you next season - have a good spring, summer and fall.
March 28, 2008	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD (NUNA Logistics Ltd) General Summary The volume of traffic has decreased significantly this past week as carriers approach their final loads for the season. As of midnight on March 27, a total of 7389 loads had been dispatched north and a total of 876 backhauls had been completed. Throughout the past week, a total of 272 loads were delivered north with the daily average for the week at 39 loads. The past two days have seen daily loads of less than 20 and this is expected to further decrease throughout the weekend. Effective March 27th, the Yellowknife Dispatch office will operate between the hours of 0700-2400 daily. Next Seven Days The road is scheduled to be closed for the season effective 1800hrs, March 31. Winter road camps will continue with equipment maintenance, inventory counts and other preparations for camp closing until at least April 10th. Should any companies have any "emergency loads" that need to get on the road after this date they are to contact Erik Madsen (JV - 867-445-4604) , Alan Fitzgerald (Nuna - 780-238-5358) or David Madder (Nuna - 867-873-1352) and upon review of the ice and the conditions of the portages it will be determined if the loads can proceed. SECONDARY ROUTE (RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD) Effective Tuesday March 25th, the secondary route was closed for heavy haul traffic for the season after final inspection by the DIAND Inspector. Snow berms were placed at Round Lake (Tyhee camp access- northbound) and at the turn off at Gibbs Lake (on the main road - southbound). The result of this, is that public traffic will only be able travel from Prosperous Boat launch to Tyhee camp but do so at their own risk.
March 21, 2008	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD (NUNA Logistics Ltd) General Summary The volume of daily northbound traffic has dropped off this week and road conditions continue to be good throughout the length of the road. As of midnight on March 20th, a total of 7135 loads had been dispatched north from Yellowknife and a total of 582 backhauls completed. The tonnaged hauled both northbound and southbound now totals 246,415 tonnes. The number of daily northbound loads continued to decrease and averaged 106 trucks per day. This daily average is expected to significantly drop over the next coming days as the majority of operations have now completed their fuel haul requirements for the season and are now concentrating on final loads of freight, cement, and ammonium nitrate. There was one incident during this reporting period. A southbound heavy load tipped on its side on Portage 54. The load was a rock truck chassis. There were no injuries and both the trailer and the load have been recovered with no environmental damage. A road closure on the Ingraham trail was successfully completed on Thursday evening to move two large oversize loads northbound. Dome Lake Segment Routine maintenance continued along the Dome Lake portion of the route. Gravel hauling began out of West Bay gravel pit. Stockpiling has been completed in preparation for next season. Lockhart Lake Segment Routine road maintenance is continuing. Lac de Gras Segment Road improvements are continuing on Portage 52 and preparations are being made for improvements to Portage 54 for future years operation. Next Seven Days Due to the expected warmer sunny weather over the next number of days we will be monitoring conditions of portages over the coming days and as is done usually, hauling operations may have to move to night time travel only on the southern portion of the road as conditions necessitate. The main effort for the next seven days will be gravel haul operations in preparation for next season while ensuring that ice and portage conditions remain safe. Camp and equipment maintenance will also continue. Given the anticipated light traffic volume between now and the end of the season it is still anticipated that road will close for northbound dispatching by March 31st. Nuna maintenance personnel we will continue efforts to have winter road camps closed by April 11th. SECONDARY ROUTE (RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD) During the 2008 road season, 611 empty haul trucks utilized the secondary route. Ice thicknesses on the secondary route achieved "Super B capacity". Some further enhancement work was completed this past week in preparation for the 2008/09 road season. Environment and Natural Resources plans to man the monitoring station between Prosperous and Bluefish Lake until March 31st. Effective Tuesday March 25th, the secondary route will be closed for the season for heavy haul traffic. Upon Inspection of DIAND Inspector, snow berms will be placed at Round Lake (Tyhee camp access- northbound) and at the turn off at Gibbs Lake (on the main road - southbound). The result of this, is that public traffic will only be able travel from Prosperous Boat launch to Tyhee camp and back and not north from there. After March 25th, there will not be the abililty to go up the main road and to head south on the secondary route. Security personnel will be no longer monitoring this road after March 23rd. RTL Robinsons will be conducting a gravel haul just north of the Prosperous Boat Lauch for the next week or so. There will be haul trucks entering and existing the road and the Prosperous Boat Launch during this period.
March 15, 2008	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD (NUNA Logistics Ltd) General Summary Weather conditions and ice conditions continued to hold throughout this reporting period, resulting in steady traffic, both north and south. By midnight on March 14th, the northbound loads totaled 6402 loads with a total of 548 backhauls completed. The tonnage hauled both northbound and southbound now totals 223,237 tonnes. Unfortunately during this period there were two fuel tankers that experienced "slow" rollovers. In both incidents the drivers were not injured. One roll-over occurred on portage 32 approximately 145 km north of Tibbitt Lake. The tanker end up on a boulder puncturing one compartment of the tanker resulting in approximately 15,000 litres of fuel being spilled. The immediate response of road personnel and other truckers in the area minimized the amount spilled. An excavator was brought to the scene that evening and two large end dumps of contaminated snow and soil were dug up and hauled to the Yellowknife landfill. The incident was reported to the spill line and the lead regulatory agency (DIAND) inspected the spill early the next morning. The spill area is still being assessed and further clean-up will be required. The other roll-over on portage 54 some seven km south of the Lac De Gras camp had a minimal amount of fuel leaking from the vents of the tanks that were contained and collected. This incident was also reported to the spill line and the DIAND inspector has invested this area. Routine ice and portage maintenance continues on the Dome, Lockhart and Lac de Gras segments. Next Seven Days The main effort for the next seven days will continue to be route and portage maintenance. A review of remaing loads was undertaken by the JV and it is estimated that there remains less then 1000 loads left (northbound and southbound). A notice was sent out to all road users noting that after March 24th there will be no more northbound loads dispatched past Lac de Gras and that over the next week a further review of remaining loads will be conducted to determine the tentative date when dispatching of loads north of Yellowknife to all locations will be haulted. It is currently anticipated that the road will not run past March 31st. SECONDARY ROUTE (RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD) The route was re-opened to empty southbound traffic from March 10th to the morning of March 14th and year to date there have been 610 trucks utilizing this route. Over the next week, March 17- 21st, there will be some route enhancement work conducted in specific sections of the route to prepare for next year's road. Due to the expected decrease in traffic for the remainder of the road season and the fact the main road portages and ice conditions are holding out well, it is anticipated that this secondary route will not be used for the remainder of the season, unless necessary. Electronic signs at the Prosperous Lake boat launch will be programmed to advise the public.
March 7, 2008	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD (NUNA Logistics Ltd) General Summary Weather conditions and ice conditions continued to hold throughout this reporting period, resulting in steady traffic, both north and south. By midnight on March 6th, the northbound loads totaled 5291 loads with a total of 384 backhauls completed. This represents approximately 70% of the most recent northbound total load forecast. Daily northbound totals for the past week averaged 154 trucks per day. The Pilot Project for the Joint Venture Winter Road Management System continues to operate well and we have received generally positive feedback from camp dispatchers and carriers. The scheduling and tracking functions of the project will now continue throughout the remainder of the winter road season. A northbound road closure on the Ingraham Trail occurred on midnight March 6th through to 0300hrs on March 7th to accommodate wide loads traveling north. Another Ingraham Trail closure has been scheduled from midnight on March 10th until 0600hrs March 11th to accommodate a number of southbound wide loads. Routine Ice and portage maintenance continues on the Dome, Lockhart and Lac de Gras segments. Next Seven Days The main effort for the next seven days will continue to be route and portage maintenance as we approach what we expect will be the final weeks of high volumes of traffic. The Joint Venture will be reviewing remaining loads from all operations and carriers next week and will provide notification as to when the road may tentatively close for the season. SECONDARY ROUTE (RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD) Intermittent profiling continues this week on specific sections of the road. Minimum ice thicknesses for the entire route are 39 inches. Route was opened to empty southbound traffic from March 3rd to morning of March 8th and 335 trucks utilized this route during this period. The route will be closed for the weekend (March 7th-9th) due to predicted public use but will re-open for southbound empty traffic on Monday 10th at 0800 am until Friday march 14th at 0800. Electronic signs at the Prosperous Lake boat launch will be programmed to advise the public of this activity. **** Note March 9th - 15th is Arctic Winter Games week and all carriers should take the extra time around the city as there will be increased public motorist traffic. All haul truck drivers should especially be aware of the pedestrian crossing by the ski-hill area. Speeds will be reduced at this location during this period, additional signs will be posted, and additional patrols will be conducted by city by-law patrols. Please follow the posted signs and drive with care. Your cooperation is appreciated.
February 29, 2008	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD (NUNA Logistics Ltd) General Summary Weather conditions and ice conditions continued to be favourable throughout this reporting period. As of 2100hrs on February 28th, at total of 4202 northbound loads had been dispatched north and a total of 336 backhauls had been hauled south. Daily northbound truck totals for the past week averaged 173 trucks per day. Dome Lake Segment Trailers for the new Dome Lake camp continue to arrive at the Meadows location. Movement of these trailers to Dome Lake will begin March 3rd. Drivers should be aware of periods of increased congestion at the Meadows area while these trailers are being transported. Lockhart Lake Segment Routine maintenance and flooding is continuing. Lac de Gras Segment The northern portion of the route to Tahera is now open. A reminder that all traffic traveling to Tahera or Lupin must check in with Lac de Gras dispatch and trucks must travel in groups to and from Tahera. Routine maintenance and flooding is continuing. Next Seven Days The main effort for the next seven days will be route and portage maintenance. Given the large number of wide loads forecasted, a number of Ingraham Road closures will be scheduled in the upcoming weeks. The first of these closures is tentatively scheduled from midnight Sunday, March 2nd through 0400hrs Monday, March 3rd. SECONDARY ROUTE (RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD) Intermittent profiling continues this week on Thistlewaite and Smoky Lake for flooding operations. The portage widening and construction on the Smoky and Thistlewaite sections were completed this week. A 3-lane profile was undertaken from Round Lake (Tyhee) to Gibbs Lake on February 27th in anticipation of the opening of the secondary route for southbound empty trucks on March 3rd. The lakes and ponds north of Smoky lake have a minimum of 33 inches of ice, 37 - 40 inches minimums are associated with Thistlewaite Lake, 41 inches + on Giaugue Lake and with all lakes south of Round Lake to Prosperous having minimums of 39 inches or greater. Current plans are starting Monday March 3rd until Friday March 7th ALL empty hauls trucks will commence using the secondary route back to Yellowknife at Gibbs Lake. Electronic signs at the Prosperous Lake boat launch have been programmed to advise the public of this activity. The JV, RTL, SECURECheck, Nuna, and the JV Advisory Committee will closely monitor the operation of the secondary route during this week and pending ice thicknesses will decide on the future use of this road for the remainder of the season.
February 22, 2008	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD (NUNA Logistics Ltd) General Summary This year's winter road reached full load status on February 15th, while in 2007 full weight status was reached on February 26th. As of midnight on February 21st, a total of 2929 northbound loads had departed Yellowknife which accounts for approximately 1/3 of the total predicted tonnage to be hauled in 2008. Daily northbound truck totals for the past week averaged 161 trucks per day. FYI - In 2007, for the month of February daily average truck loads averaged 215. Dome Lake Segment Trailers for the new Dome Lake camp are continuing to arrive at the Meadows location. Drivers should be aware of periods of increased congestion at the Meadows area while these trailers are unloaded. Camp construction at Dome remains scheduled to begin the first week of March. Staging areas for NorthwesTel's microwave - helicopter tower work have been cleared on Dome Lake. This work is planned to start March 13th. Lockhart Lake Segment Some sections of ice on Lake P-33 began to show effects of washing early in the week. Extensive flooding was conducted in these areas and speed limits on this lake were lowered to 10km/hr. These measures appeared to have been successful as the ice thickness has recovered. Reduced speed limits will likely remain in place on this lake for the remainder of the season. Staging areas for NorthwesTel's - helicopter microwave tower work have been cleared near Lockhart camp. Lac de Gras Segment The northern portion of the road to Lupin and on to the Tahera mine have been cleared to full width and has ice thicknesses above 41 inches in all areas. A pressure ridge on Contwoyto Lake remains a problem area and crews are widening the road to the shoreline to complete a bypass. This route could open as early as February 22nd. A bulletin announcing the opening of this portion of the road will be promulgated by YK Dispatch in the near future. Next Seven Days The main effort for the next seven days will be route and portage maintenance. Yellowknife, camp and carrier dispatch offices will be participating in the JVWRS Pilot Project starting next week and clearing of the NorthwesTel's helicopter microwave staging areas will be conducted on Long Lake and Lockhart Lake. A bulletin announcing the opening of the northern portion to Tahera should be promulgated by the Yellowknife Dispatch office in the near future. SECONDARY ROUTE (RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD) The road has now been cleared to full width for the entire route. Flood crews continue focus flooding on specific areas on Smoky Lake. A two lane profile of the entire route was completed on February 17th and allowable ice capacity charts for 39 inches of ice were distributed to potential haulers into the Tyhee camp. The remainder of the route north from Round Lake (Tyhee) to Smoky Lake has a few minimums of 30 inches with most areas in the range of 32 to 40 inches. Brushing, widening, and portage work continued on the Thistlewaite and Smoky Lake and will be ongoing for the next few days. The majority of signs have been placed along the route. JV representatives in combination with RTL, Nuna and SECURECheck have a meeting scheduled today to determine how and when this route will be utilized and will provide advance notice to all carriers and companies early next week. It is anticipated that the earliest it will be utilized is March 3rd.
February 14, 2008 (noon)	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD (NUNA Logistics Ltd) As of midnight on February 13th, a total of 1672 northbound loads had left Yellowknife and 98 backhauls had been completed south. Daily northbound truck totals are beginning to average between 150 - 160 trucks per day. Minimum ice thicknesses north to the Ekati turn off are now 39 inches, which corresponds to full highway legal loads for all 7 axle trucks and below. It is anticipated that full Super B load status will be reached in the next few days. Last year on this same day, the minimum ice thickness was 36 inches along the route. All express lanes are open to empty traffic only, with most of the minimum ice thicknesses between 30 - 35 inches. These lanes will remain restricted to empty traffic only at this time. Dome Lake Segment Trailers for the new Dome Lake camp will continue to arrive at the Meadows location. Drivers should be aware of periods of increased congestion at the Meadows area while these trailers are unloaded. Lockhart Lake Segment All express lanes are now open to empty traffic. Lac de Gras Segment Crews continue to work at opening the route north of Lac de Gras. Minimum ice thicknesses average in the 36-38" range and continue to grow. The route has been cleared to full width with the exception of approximately 85 km on Contwoyto Lake. Ice surface maintenance will continue throughout the week. Crews will continue to work towards each other and are expected to have Contwoyto Lake cleared to full width within the next three days if favourable weather continues. Next Seven Days The main effort for the next seven days will be opening the north portion of the winter road through to Tahera. Portage maintenance and surface ice maintenance will also continue. Load increases will continue to be promulgated by the Yellowknife Dispatch office as we approach maximum loads. SECONDARY ROUTE (RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD) The road has now been cleared to full width for the entire route. Flood crews continue focus flooding on specific areas under 30 inches on Thistlewaite and Smoky Lake. A complete profile from Prosperous Lake to Round Lake (Tyhee) was completed on February 8th and allowable ice capacity charts were distributed to all potential haulers into Tyhee. Allowable minimum ice thickness was set at 29 inches with most lakes and ponds being 32 + inches. Ice thicknesses on Giauque Lake have minimums of 32 inches and mostly 35 + inches. Thistlewaite has current minimums of 29 inches but mostly 35 + inches. Smoky Lake has minimums of 29 inches and mostly 30 + inches. The combination of continued cold weather and focused flooding on the northern cleared sections will increase ice thicknesses over the next week. Brushing, widening, and portage work concentrated on the Thistlewaite and Smoky Lake portions and it is expected to be completed by the end of the weekend. Additional signage will be placed along the route this coming weekend. It is anticipated that with the combination of work remaining (primarily brushing, widening of portages), continued cold weather and allowable ice thickness that this route will be in the position for haul traffic in 10-14 days. The JV in combination with RTL, Nuna and SECURECheck will decide how this route will be utilized and will provide advance notice to all carriers and companies.
February 7, 2008 (pm)	Main Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (Nuna Logistics Ltd) As of midnight on February 6th, a total of 652 loads had been dispatched north. Allowable loads have been increased throughout the week and now correspond to 34" of minimum ice thickness throughout the route. With the current forecast of continued cold temperatures, it is expected that ice growth will continue over the next week. Ice conditions are moderate as the cold weather has resulted in a large number of growth cracks in the ice. These cracks are considered normal and flood crews will continue their efforts to make surface repairs. This will result in portions of the road width being temporarily closed while the flood crews conduct their work. It is important for all drivers to be aware of the presence of flood crews working on the road. These areas are always well marked. The majority of express lanes are now open throughout the length of the road. Express lanes are clearly marked for empty traffic. Speed limits on express lanes north of Lockhart Lake are 60km/hr or as posted. Speed limits on express lanes south of Lockhart Lake are 40 km/hr or as posted. Lac de Gras crews have begun opening the road north to the Lupin mine site. It is anticipated to take approximately one week to have the road open to Lupin if favourable weather conditions continue. Dome Lake Segment Most express lanes are now open to empty traffic. It is expected the Gordon Lake express lane will open this coming week. Flood crews will continue to conduct repairs to the ice surface from expansion cracking. Lockhart Lake Segment Most express lanes are now open to empty traffic. It is expected the Long Lake express lane will open within the next few days. Flood crews will continue to conduct repairs to the ice surface from expansion cracking. Lac de Gras Segment Crews have begun to work north to the Lupin Mine site. Profiling has been completed to the south end of Contwoyto Lake. There are some localized areas of 34" minimums with average minimum ice thickness of 38"-40". The main road has been cleared to full width to Pellat Lake. Profile crews and plough crews will continue to work north for the remainder of the week. Flood crews will continue with surface repairs. Next Seven Days The main effort for the next seven days will be opening the remaining express lanes and forging ahead to open the road to the north end of Contwoyto Lake. Load increases will continue to be promulgated by the Yellowknife Dispatch office as minimum ice thicknesses increase. Secondary Route (RTL - Robinson Enterprises Ltd) The road has been cleared to full width up to Thistlewaite Lake and within two days will be completed to the end of Smoky Lake. Flood crews continue focus flooding on areas that are under 25 inches on Thistlewaite and southern portion of Smoky Lake. A complete profile from Prosperous Lake to Giauque Lake will be completed on Friday in preparation for the start of hauling freight into Tyhee. All ice information and allowable weights will be forwarded to Tyhee and all potential haulers. Ice thicknesses on Giauque Lake have minimums of 29 inches and mostly 31 + inches. Thistlewaite has currently a minimum of 22 inches but mostly 29 + inches. Smoky Lake has minimums of 22 inches. The combination of continued cold weather and focused flooding on the northern cleared sections will increase ice thicknesses over the next week. Portage work over the next week will be concentrated on the portage north of Thistlewaite Lake and the portages on the southern section on to Smoky Lake and north end of Smoky Lake that connects to the main road. Securecheck personnel will start patrolling this section of road starting February 8th. It is anticipated that with the work remaining and continued weather forecast that this route will be in the position for haul traffic in approximately two weeks. The JV in combination with RTL, Nuna and SECURECheck will decide how this route will be utilized and will provide advance notice to all carriers and companies.
February 1, 2008 (morning)	Main Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (Nuna Logistics Ltd) The TCWR main road opened to Hot Shots on January 28th and to regular truck traffic on January 29th. Opening minimums for ice thickness was 28". A gradual build-up of traffic volume was implemented with four trucks dispatched on January 29th, 21 trucks dispatched on January 30th and 60 trucks dispatched on January 31st. Total northbound loads up to January 31st are 85 loads. The majority of express lanes north of Lockhart Lake have been cleared and are expected to be open to empty southbound traffic within the next two days. Express lanes south of Lockhart Lake remain closed as ice continues to build throughout these lanes. Profiling will continue along the length of the road with the intent of increasing allowable weights with each inch of minimum ice growth. The weight limits were increased to correspond to 30" minimum ice thickness effective 0700 hours, this morning February 1, 2008. Dome Lake Segment - All main haul lanes and express lanes north to Gordon Lake have been cleared to full width. Average minimum ice thickness along the main haul route ranges from 30"-33". Express lanes remain closed to all traffic. The trailer for SecureCheck personnel was placed at the Meadows on January 31st. Lockhart Lake Segment - All main haul lanes from Gordon Lake to Lockhart Lake have been cleared to full width. Average minimum ice thickness along the main haul route ranges from 31"-35". Express lanes on Long Lake and Drybones Lake still require ploughing. Lac de Gras Segment - All main haul lanes and the majority of express lanes from Lockhart Lake to Lac de Gras have been cleared. The remaining express lanes should be cleared within the next two days. Once these express lanes have been cleared, they will be opened to empty southbound traffic. Minimum ice thickness on the northern section is 34", with average minimums ranging from 38" - 41". Load increases will continue to be promulgated by the Yellowknife Dispatch office as minimum ice thicknesses increase. Secondary Route (RTL - Robinson Enterprises Ltd) Pioneering and initial profiling from the north end of Thistlewaite Lake to the main road has been completed. The road has been cleared to full width up to Giauque Lake with clearing continuing on Thistlewaite and Smoky Lake. However, the extreme cold weather over the past 3 days has produced very minimal plowing. Three flood crews continue focusing flooding on areas where there is minimal ice on Thistlewaite and Giauque Lake. Ice thicknesses from Prosperous to Goodwin Lake have minimums of 27" and mostly 30" or greater. Morris to Round Lake have minimums of 24-26" while the more northern lakes Giauque, Thistlewaite and Smoky still have some sections with minimums in the range of 20-21 inches. The combination of cold weather and focused flooding on the northern cleared sections will increase ice thicknesses. Portage work continued this week and has been completed up to Giauque Lake. Initial construction portage work took place at the end of this week between Thistlewaite Lake and the main road but it was been hampered greatly by the cold weather. With warmer weather expected by mid next week it is anticipated that portage work for the final sections will be completed including widening. The ENR wildlife monitoring station has been positioned on the Bluefish portage and will be ready for ENR monitors by February 4th.
January 29, 2008 (noon)	Main Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (Nuna Logistics Ltd) The first "hot shots" or grocery trucks drove the winter road on January 27th & 28th. As of this morning January 29th - 4 haul trucks (2-5 axle and 2-6 axle - Super B-Train configuration, carrying diesel fuel) for 28 inches of ice thickness were dispatched northbound. Nuna Dispatch will start regularly scheduling loads on January 30th northbound. There will of course be a gradual build up of loads and the loads will be staggered over the next few days. Nuna dispatch personnel will notify the company dispatchers of dispatch schedules for the next couple of days.
January 25, 2008	Main Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (Nuna Logistics Ltd) The main haul road has been ploughed to full width to the Diavik and Ekati mine turnoffs on Lac de Gras. The majority of express lanes have also been cleared with the exception of 4.6 km of express lane on Long Lake, 10.7 km of express lane on Drybones Lake and 0.5 km of express lane on Lockhart Lake. On the northern section there remains a considerable amount of "tight-blading" to be completed to smooth out the surface. Ice thicknesses on the south end continues to grow with the centre-line profiles on most lakes approaching or at the 28" minimum required for road opening. The small chain of lakes north of Gordon Lake continues to lag behind, now averaging 23"-26" of ice. Minimums for ice thicknesses north of Lockhart Lake average 32"-37". Portage grooming work is continuing well and it is anticipated that all portages will be passable within the next two to three days. Flooding crews continue with focus flooding on specific areas on the southern portion of the road. Upon achieving 24" minimums - most likely by this Saturday January 26th or Sunday January 27th the road will be opened to "Hot Shot" or grocery truck status only. Nuna dispatch office will promulgate load limits for Hot Shots (24 inches) and for expected road opening (28 inches) and will forward to all trucking carriers. If current weather forecast holds for colder weather over the weekend it is anticipated that road opening at 28 inches will occur on January 29th or 30th. Express Lanes - It should be noted that express lanes south of Lockhart Lake will remain closed during the initial opening until ice thicknesses have increased to match the main haul road. These lanes will be marked with delineators or orange stakes to indicate they are closed to traffic. Speed Limits - Upon opening, maximum speed will be restricted to 25km/hr throughout the entire route, with smaller lakes in the south end limited to 10 km/hr. These lakes will be signed accordingly. Next Seven Days The main effort for the next seven days will be bringing up ice thicknesses on the small lakes north of Gordon Lake. Ploughing and tight-blading will continue along the length of the road to clear snow that has accumulated over the past few days. SECURECheck personnel will be arriving in camps on 25 January and will assist with the signing and marking of express lane closures. Detailed profiling will be conducted along three lines for the entire route as a final confirmation of ice thickness prior to road opening. Secondary Winter Road (Robinson Enterprises Ltd.) To date, lake clearing to full width has been completed up to and including Giauque Lake, with currently clearing ongoing on Thistlewaite Lake. Initial profiling onto Smoky Lake is ongoing and is expected to be completed by Saturday January 26th. Clearing of snow will occur on Smoky Lake next week as the ice conditions permit. The heavy snow fall and hard packed snow through the portages between Thistlewaite and Smoky Lake has hampered progress. Flooding crews continue to flood areas to assist in building ice in areas where required. Portage work northward continues and has been completed to Narrow Lake.
January 22, 2008	The purpose of this update is to provide some information for trucking carriers for planning purposes on the forecast date of road opening. The target ice thickness for road opening remains at 28" of ice. There are however still a number of lakes that have minimum ice thicknesses in the range of 23 - 26". Specific areas on these lakes continue to be flooded. There is also a significant amount of portage grooming work required to be completed on the southern portion of the road in order to make the portages safely accessible for large trucks. Therefore, currently the best date for road opening at the minimum of 28" of ice is January 29th or 30th. FYI - Last year (2007), the road opened at 27" on January 26th and then it was January 29th when allowable weights were increased to 28" of ice. As is done each year, in order to monitor the ice, the plan will be to have a gradual build up of trucks in the first number of days after the road opens. Nuna dispatch personnel will send the trucking carriers a bulletin outlining the allowable gross vehicle weights (GVW) per applicable axle configurations for 28" of ice for planning purposes. A regular road update on both the status of the main Tibbitt to Contwoyto and Secondary winter roads will be provided this Friday on January 25th.
January 18, 2008 (am)	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD - NUNA LOGISTICS LTD Colder weather and only moderate snowfall over the past week has allowed crews to continue solid gains on the road opening throughout the length of the road. On the south end, the road has been cleared to full width from the highway at Tibbitt Lake through to Warburton Bay. On the North end, the road has been cleared from Lac de Gras south and crews are now approaching the south end of MacKay Lake. Ice thickness is continuing to grow throughout the length of the road, minimums averaging in the 22" - 25" range in the south and 27" - 30" in the North section. It is anticipated that crews will be able to link the road within the next few days. Once the road is ploughed to full width, then target flooding will be required in areas where ice growth is required. Intent is to open the road when minimum ice profiling along the entire route shows ice thicknesses of 28 "(inches). Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the timing for road opening is now largely dependent on weather conditions, however it is anticipated after review of progress and weather outlook that opening is not expected before January 24, 2008. Regular updates will be provided over the next week as road opening approaches so that Carriers may begin to prepare accordingly. Dome Lake Segment Detailed profiling continues from the access at Ingraham Trail to lakes north of Gordon Lake. Minimum ice thickness have increased throughput the South end over the past week. There are a few areas that have focused flooding on the South section where ice thickness are not progressing naturally due to cold weather. Express lanes on Gordon, Pensive and Ross Lakes have been profiled and are presently being cleared. Portage upgrade work is ongoing on the southern portion. Lockhart Lake Segment Profiling continues with emphasis now on express lanes. Minimums north of Lockhart Lake are in the 27"-30" range with profiling continuing north in Warburton Bay and the south part of MacKay Lake. Snow clearing continues. Flooding crews are focusing on particular areas on this section where ice thickness have not progressed naturally due to cold weather. Portage work is ongoing. Lac de Gras Segment The North end of the road has been cleared to full width from Lac de Gras to the southern portion of MacKay Lake, with approximately 40 kms remaining on Mackay Lake. Profiling has been conducted to the South end of Mackay Lake with minimum ice thicknesses between 27"-30". With averages in the range of 30 - 35 inches. Portage work is ongoing. SECONDARY ROUTE - RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD Clearing of snow to full width continues and now has approached Morris Lake. Over the next week snow clearing will continue north to Giauque and Thistlewaite Lake. Profiling continues ahead of lake clearing and minimum ice thicknesses on the sections cleared are 20 inches. Three flooding crews continue to focus on areas requiring flooding as the road continues North. Portage work is continuing northbound ahead of road clearing and will continue over the next week, with portage work being completed to the Tyhee operation within the next week. Due to ice thickness, crews did not access the secondary route from the northern portion of the route recon back to Smokey Lake from the main ice road. With ice thicknesses increasing the access from the main road - southbound to connect with southern section will commence in the next few days.
January 11, 2008	MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD - NUNA Logistics Ltd Adverse weather early in the reporting week delayed the opening of the Lac de Gras camp by four days due to a snow storm and slowed progress on the south end of the road due to heavy snowfall. More recent clear and cold weather has enabled crews to make solid gains, particularly in the south. The road is now cleared to full width from the Ingraham Trail to the north part of Gordon Lake (approximately 85 km). Crews have progressed south from Lockhart Lake and have cleared to the southern portion of Long Lake. It is anticipated Lockhart and Dome Lake crews will meet within the next three to four days. Dome Lake Segment Detailed profiling continues from the access at Ingraham Trail to lakes north of Gordon Lake with the majority of lakes having 18"+ minimums and average readings in the 20"-22" range. Snow accumulation at the north end of Gordon Lake is relatively deep, averaging nine inches in depth. Snow Cats will continue to work north towards Brown Lake. Flooding crews continue to work on specific areas between Tibbitt Lake and Gordon Lake. Lockhart Lake Segment Profiling has been completed between Lockhart Lake and Brown Lake with the majority of minimums above 19" and average ice thicknesses between 20"-25". The majority of lakes are being ploughed with plough trucks given the greater ice thicknesses in this region. The road has been cleared to full width from Lockhart Lake through to the southern portion of Long Lake (approximately 50 km). Flooding crews are focusing efforts on approach to Lockhart Lake Camp and a few other areas between Lockhart and Long Lake. Lac de Gras Segment The Lac de Gras camp was opened on January 7th. Initial profiling in the Lac de Gras area has demonstrated minimum ice thicknesses between 27" and 31" with averages between 35" and 41". Profiling and snow clearance crews will continue from Lac de Gras camp to Diavik and Ekati access roads and will then focus efforts south towards Lockhart Lake. Lac de Gras crews have now fully opened the camp and have cleared the road from Lac de Gras camp to accesses to both Diavik and Ekati mines. Efforts will now focus south towards Lockhart Lake. SECONDARY ROUTE - RTL ROBINSON ENTERPRISES LTD Clearing of snow to full width has been completed from Prosperous Boat launch to Sito Lake. Profiling followed by snow clearing and flooding operations continues northward to Clan, Johnson Lake and up to Discovery. Flooding this past week was concentrated on specific areas on Prosperous and Bluefish Lake. Portage work has been completed on the first portage and will continue this week with plowing, watering, and dragging operations. A total of 3 flood crews are now operating besides 2 Snowcats, 3 Hildebrandts and 3 water trucks. A crew will start working southbound from km 173 of the main road to connect back to Thistlethwaite via Smokey Lake starting this weekend.
January 4, 2008	Happy New Year! MAIN TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD - NUNA Logistics Ltd Operating and maintenance crews returned to Dome Lake camp on Dec 27th to continue road construction. Lockhart Lake camp was opened on Dec 30th with further operators arriving at Lockhart on Jan 3rd. Camp opening crews for Lac de Gras were weather delayed on Jan 3rd and will reschedule for Jan 4th. Dome Lake Segment (120 km) Detailed profiling continued from Tibbitt Lake and Dome Lake. With the cold weather over the Christmas break, the average ice thicknesses increased on the southern portion. The majority of the lakes have 16 inches minimums with Waite Lake and Gordon Lake having in the range of 18-20 inches. The route has been ploughed to full width from the highway to just south of Gordon Lake. Localized minimum ice thickness on Tibbitt lake were tramped with Hagglunds and will be cleared by the Snow Cats once 16" of ice is achieved. Three to five inches of snow fell overnight on Jan 2nd and the Snow Cats were busy clearing the route north. Flooding continues on specific sections of the road from the highway north and this will continue over the next week. Lockhart Lake Segment (165 km) Crews arrived into Lockhart Lake camp on Dec 30th to open the camp. The airstrip was cleared and crews began working south, clearing a single lane south to Long Lake. Next Seven Days Crews will continue to arrive into all camps to bring the workforce up to full strength. Snow Cats will continue to work north towards Lockhart Lake. Lac de Gras crews, upon their arrival into camp, will focus their efforts south towards Lockhart Lake. SECONDARY ROUTE - RTL Robinson Enterprises Ltd Profiling continued this past week with a Wolverine and Hagglund from Prosperous Lake north to Thistlewaite Lake. Flooding of McMeekan Bay was conducted this past week as well as a few portions of Prosperous Lake. Ice thickenesses were in the 18- 20 inch range which allowed the Hildebrandts to plow Prosperous and Bluefish Lake to full width. Daily profiling will continue to advance northward with lake clearing and flooding following afterwards. Portage work started on the most southern portages accessing Prosperous Lake and accessing Bluefish Lake.
December 20, 2007	Main Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road Following favorable results from helicopter ice checks that were conducted between Tibbitt Lake and Lockhart Lake on December 7th, a Nuna crew opened the Dome Lake camp on December 12th to commence early start-up operations on the southern portion of the road (south and north of Dome Lake). Currently 14 personnel are in camp including supervisors, camp staff, mechanics profilers and operators. Profiling was conducted from Dome Lake to Tibbitt Lake on December 13th and three profile lines were completed on the small lake adjacent to Highway 4 and on Tibbitt Lake. In general, ice thicknesses are very comparable to last years numbers. Detailed profiling continued this week, with six Hagglunds being used to either clear snow or tramp snow. Flooding of specific areas is also ongoing. Having the crews out early was beneficial, as the heavy snow fall last weekend and early this week has now either been cleared or tramped to allow for better ice penetration over the Christmas break. Ice thickness North towards Lockhart and further north to Lac de Gras are very good as there has not been much snow cover up North and colder temperatures have assisted in ice growth. This crew will continue working at Dome Lake until 21/22 December. The focus of effort will continue to be on detailed profiling and snow clearance south and north of Dome Lake. Two personnel will remain in Dome Lake over the Christmas holidays. Operation and maintenance crews will return to Dome Lake on December 27th. It is intended that crews for the Lockhart and Lac de Gras camps will start arriving either on December 29th/30th or January 2nd/3rd. The Yellowknife dispatch office was positioned today at the same site as last year across from Kingland Ford. Secondary Route RTL tested the ice using a helicopter along the secondary route on December 7th. Generally, ice thicknesses are comparable to last year along this route with the larger lakes having thicker ice. The NWT Power Corporation did lower water levels in Bluefish Lake in late November which dropped water levels on this lake but lake levels have been rising since and there are no further plans to drop water levels throughout the winter. RTL plans to check the ice levels again shortly after Christmas (December 27th) and pending ice thicknesses will commence profiling. Majority of crew will be mobilized on December 27th. Next update early January 2008 Merry Christmas