Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, our highways and roads are critical infrastructure that connect communities, allow for delivery of goods, and provide access to the rest of Canada.

Regular maintenance is crucial to ensuring our roads serve the public safely and effectively. That work makes the NWT’s highway system resilient to climate change and creates employment and training opportunities for residents.

Mr. Speaker, this spring’s flooding tested the system’s resilience and impacted our highways. I want to acknowledge the hard work of staff, particularly in the South Slave region, who went above and beyond to keep highways open and repair any damage to them; ensuring access to essential goods and services during the flood response. I want to thank everyone who played a part in making this happen during a very challenging time.

I also want to acknowledge the Department of Infrastructure’s Transportation group. They do an amazing job ensuring our transportation system is safe and working well.

Mr. Speaker, as the territory recovers from the flooding, the GNWT is also focusing on the summer construction season. It will be another busy one. In fact, a total of $81 million dollars in improvements will be made to our highways this year.

In the South Slave region, rehabilitation work continues on 12 kilometres of Highway No. 1. This work includes widening of the embankments, replacing culverts, and chipsealing. This is a multi-year project, which is expected to conclude by September 2023. A bridge-culvert replacement is also planned at kilometre 20 on Highway No. 1 and will be completed this Fall.

Various sections of the highway near Enterprise, Kakisa, and Fort Simpson will also receive a chipseal overlay from June to September this year. Maintenance and cleaning at the Deh Cho Bridge is planned for this summer.  Repairs to Preble Creek Bridge on Highway No. 5 will be undertaken this Fall.

Mr. Speaker, in the North Slave Region, the Whatı̀ Access Road will be upgraded. This access road connects the community to the newly constructed Tłı̨chǫ Highway. The 12-kilometre access road will receive new gravel, as well as have road embankment construction, installing of drainage culverts, and replacing culverts with a short span bridge. This project is expected to be complete by Fall 2023.

Also this year, a 23-kilometre section of Highway No. 3 will receive surface repairs and resurfacing, along with chipsealing.

On Highway No. 4, the Ingraham Trail, rehabilitation continues on roughly five kilometres of that road. Work will include repairing dips, widening the embankment, replacing culverts and chipsealing. This project is expected to be complete by September 2023.

In the Dehcho Region, rehabilitation work continues on Highway No. 7, the Liard Highway. Crews are focussed on widening the embankment, replacing culverts, and strengthening the road. This work is expected to be completed in September 2023.

In the Beaufort Delta, rehabilitation work on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway continues. This work is anticipated to complete by September 2027. Highway No. 8 at kilometre 239.9 will see bridge-culvert repairs and Highway No. 10 at kilometre 8.3 will see rehabilitation of the bridge embankment.

Mr. Speaker, as our summer highway construction season gets underway, our construction crews will be hard at work on NWT roads. I want to remind residents this summer to watch for highway crews, slow down in construction zones and obey signs while they are driving. Let us make sure the summer construction season is a safe one for Infrastructure employees and contractors and those travelling on our highways.

Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.