Skip to content

Dettah Ice Road not open until new year

The GNWT Department of Infrastructure said this week the Dettah ice road is not expected to be open before 2019.

"For this particular year, it is unlikely to open before the new year." said Greg Hanna, communications officer with the department.

file photo
The ice road linking Yellowknife and Dettah across Yellowknife Bay is not expected to be open until after New Year's Day, according to the GNWT Department of Infrastructure.

Hanna said the milder weather in late November and early December has contributed to some of inability to open the road.

"But this has been the case for the last couple of years and it is common to open a week before or week after New Year's," he said.

The 15-year average, however, has been Dec. 21.

In 2018, the road opened on Jan. 5 and closed April 18.

The minimum requirement for the ice for driving is 34 and 36 cm thick before the route can be opened to the public.