Sixty North Gold has begun construction of a highway leading to its hydroelectric plant in Canada's Northwest Territories.
The road will lead from Highway #4 to the plant, a distance of 18 kilometres. Sixty North will complete the additional 27 kilometres to the Mon gold mine in the coming weeks.
Sixty North expects to start transportation of supplies to the mine in early March, when it estimates the ice thickness to be at peak conditions for transport.
"All mining and support equipment is on site, and the resupply of the mine uses proven winter road technologies," Sixty North chief executive Dave Webb said.
There is little existing road infrastructure in Canada's northern territories of Northwest Territies, Yukon, and Nunavut, due to their extreme temperatures and sparse population.
Construction of highways is often a necessity for receiving mining equipment and supplies, as well as transporting ore to processing facilities and consumers. Much of the region is inaccessible by road in warmer months, when ice roads disappear.
Climate change has also complicated transportation in the northern territories. Warming temperatures have thinned ice on lakes, making transportation more unreliable.
The Canadian federal ministry of transport launched the Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative Program in 2011 to help northern territories adjust to warming weather.
Infrastructure Canada and the NWT Infrastructure Plan have several highway projects lined up in the 2016-2023 period, including preliminary steps for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, costing C$102.5 million; Slave Geological Province Corridor, costing C$40 million; Mackenzie Highway improvements, costing C$63 million; the Yellowknife Highway, costing C$32.5 million; and other road resurfacings and safety improvements.
