Yellowknife Highway
Encyclopedia
Highway 3, known more commonly as the Yellowknife Highway, but also the Great Slave Highway, connects Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
to Highway 1
, from a junction 188 km (116.8 mi) north of the Alberta
border. Built in 1968, the highway is now completely paved and realigned after years of work concluded in 2006.
The highway also connects with Behchoko (formerly Rae-Edzo) and Fort Providence. From Yellowknife, Highway 4
extends a further 70 km (43.5 mi) north, also providing access to the seasonal winter road
s used by commercial trucking for mine resupply.
At the Mackenzie River
(just south of Fort Providence), the crossing is achieved with a ferry service (May-January) and ice bridge
(December to March). Transportation is interrupted in the spring for approximately five weeks when the ice bridge deteriorates but ice conditions prevent safe ferry operations. The Deh Cho Bridge
is being built to replace the ferry/ice bridge at this crossing. Currently under construction and "more than 50 percent complete" as of late 2011, it is scheduled to open in late 2012. Estimated costs have more than tripled since 2003.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
to Highway 1
Mackenzie Highway
The Mackenzie Highway is a Canadian highway in northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It begins as Alberta Highway 2 at Mile Zero in Grimshaw, Alberta...
, from a junction 188 km (116.8 mi) north of the Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
border. Built in 1968, the highway is now completely paved and realigned after years of work concluded in 2006.
The highway also connects with Behchoko (formerly Rae-Edzo) and Fort Providence. From Yellowknife, Highway 4
Ingraham Trail
Highway 4, known more commonly as the Ingraham Trail, extends from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to Tibbitt Lake, approximately east of Yellowknife...
extends a further 70 km (43.5 mi) north, also providing access to the seasonal winter road
Winter road
Winter roads are temporary highways carved out of snow and ice. They facilitate transportation to and from communities without permanent roads, and are commonly seen in isolated regions in Canada's north....
s used by commercial trucking for mine resupply.
At the Mackenzie River
Mackenzie River
The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
(just south of Fort Providence), the crossing is achieved with a ferry service (May-January) and ice bridge
Ice road
Ice roads are frozen, human-made structures on the surface of bays, rivers, lakes, or seas in the far north. They link dry land, frozen waterways, portages and winter roads, and are usually remade each winter. Ice roads allow temporary transport to areas with no permanent road access...
(December to March). Transportation is interrupted in the spring for approximately five weeks when the ice bridge deteriorates but ice conditions prevent safe ferry operations. The Deh Cho Bridge
Deh Cho Bridge
The Deh Cho Bridge, currently under construction since 2008, will be a bridge across a span of the Mackenzie River on Highway 3 near Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, Canada...
is being built to replace the ferry/ice bridge at this crossing. Currently under construction and "more than 50 percent complete" as of late 2011, it is scheduled to open in late 2012. Estimated costs have more than tripled since 2003.