INUVIK (March 20, 2015) – Members of the Legislative Assembly, regional leaders and media received a first-hand view of progress on the 120-kilometre all-weather Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway project this week. Minister of Transportation Tom Beaulieu hosted a two-day visit to construction sites near Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk for the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Members of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure, community leaders from the Beaufort Delta area and the media.

“We’re very pleased with the contractor’s progress to date as well as their commitment to local employment, training, safety and quality under difficult conditions,” said Minister Beaulieu. “We will review the project when the construction season ends in May, and are satisfied right now that the project is proceeding as planned and look forward to opening the highway on schedule in 2017.”

As of March 1, 2015, 602 people were employed to operate and maintain the heavy equipment and support vehicles, supply and operate the work camps, and manage all aspects of the project from engineering and design, to monitoring the construction area for signs of wildlife.

“It’s really something to celebrate, knowing over 70 percent of the workforce is comprised of residents from the Beaufort Delta and NWT communities,” said Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and MLA for Nunakput Jackie Jacobson. “That is a substantial contribution to meeting this Assembly’s priority to create employment opportunities where they’re needed most.”

Standing Committee Chair Robert Hawkins says, “It’s remarkable to see how efficiently crews are able to move material from the pits out to the embankment site.  Watching these massive rock trucks arrive every 13 to 16 minutes, and knowing they operate 24-hours per day, seven days a week makes it easier to understand how they’ve successfully moved almost 2 million cubic metres of material.”

The Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway project is made possible through a strategic partnership between the Governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories with each providing funding of $200 million and $99 million respectively. Investing in strategic infrastructure that will support sustainable economic development is part of the GNWT’s plan for realizing the 17th Legislative Assembly’s vision of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories.

Media inquiries:
Roya Grinsted
Communications Officer
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: 867-669-2308
Email: roya_grinsted@gov.nt.ca