Canada's Vital Ice Road Delayed by Mild Winter
April 07, 24
(IDEX Online) - A mild winter in Canada delayed the opening of the Winter Road that allows Rio Tinto, Burgundy Mines and De Beers to bring in a year's worth of vital supplies.
The 250-mile road is built every year when temperatures are low enough and the ice is thick enough, allowing trucks to reach the Diavik, Ekati and Gaucho Kue diamond mines, all clustered together close to the Arctic Circle.
It has been a joint venture between the three miners since 1982, and usually operates for two months a year, allowing the mines to bring in fuel, cement, construction materials, heavy mining equipment, tires and explosives. Access for the rest of the year is only by air.
This year the road, which crosses 64 frozen lakes, opened two weeks late because it wasn't cold enough. The heaviest trucks need the ice on the lakes to be at least 42 inches thick to ensure safe passage.
There have been delays in the past, but this is the biggest in recent years, Tom Hoefer, senior advisor to the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, told Reuters. There are also fears that a mild spring might cut short the road's operations.
Pic of the winter road courtesy TCWR.