Winter Driving
Living and driving in the Northwest Territories means being ready for whatever winter throws your way. With the right preparation and caution, you can stay safe on the road, whether it’s a highway, winter road, or ice road.
Before You Go: Essential Preparation Steps
- Check Road Conditions: Always know what you’re up against before you hit the road. Visit DriveNWT.ca for up-to-date road conditions and weather forecasts.
- Share Your Travel Plans: Let someone know your route and your estimated time of arrival.
- Winterize Your Vehicle: Equip your vehicle with good winter tires, extra cold-temperature windshield washer fluid, an ice scraper/snowbrush, and make sure your fuel tank is full.
- Plan for Extra Time: Winter driving can be unpredictable. Leave early and allow extra time for possible delays.
- Pack a Winter Travel Kit: Always carry essentials, including:
- Two-way radio or satellite phone: In remote areas where cell service may be unavailable, these devices can help you stay connected and call for help.
- Flares, warning lights, or high-visibility reflective triangles: Ensure you’re visible to other drivers or rescuers, especially in low-light or blizzard conditions.
- Comprehensive Tool Kit, including:
- Shovel and sand or cat litter: To help provide traction if your vehicle gets stuck in ice or snow.
- Windshield scraper and brush: Keep your windshield clear to maintain visibility.
- Tow rope: For pulling or being pulled if stuck.
- Booster cables / Battery booster: In case your battery dies due to the cold.
- Flashlight (with extra batteries) or a hand-crank flashlight.
- Duct tape: For temporary fixes to leaks or damages.
- Candles and Fire-starting materials: Small candles can provide light and some warmth inside a vehicle. Matches, a lighter, and fire-starting blocks or wood for outdoor fires if you need to stay outside for an extended period.
- Spare tire and extra fuel: Keep a jerrycan of fuel in your vehicle. Fuel is essential not only for driving but for running the engine to keep warm if you’re stranded.
- Warm clothing: Include insulated gloves, hats, scarves, and extra layers. Ensure each passenger has extra clothing available.
- Blankets or sleeping bags and heat packs: Preferably insulated or thermal to retain body heat.
- Non-perishable food and water: High-energy, non-perishable snacks like protein bars, nuts, and dried fruit. Water should be stored in containers that can withstand freezing conditions.
- First-aid kit: Including bandages, antiseptic, and any medical supplies you may need (extra prescription medication)
On the Road: Stay Cautious
- Slow Down: Adjust your speed to match road conditions. Icy, snowy roads mean slower, safer driving.
- Monitor Your Fuel: Always keep at least half a tank of fuel to prevent freezing in your fuel lines.
- Check Tire Pressure Often: Cold weather causes tire pressure to drop, which can affect handling on icy roads.
- Stay Visible: Always drive with your headlights on, even during daylight hours.
- Bridges and Overpasses: These areas freeze faster, so approach with caution.
- Watch for Black Ice: Look out for shiny patches on the road—these could be slick with ice.
Winter Roads & Ice Roads
The unique winter road system in the Northwest Territories is made up of temporary routes made of snow and ice, connecting nine remote communities to essential supplies and travel routes. Built across frozen lakes, rivers, and overland trails, these roads open each winter, providing critical access to places that can't be reached by all-season roads. Typically open from December through April, they are a lifeline for northern communities, delivering goods and services during the coldest months.
Our short winter-road season is critical, as this seasonal transportation becomes the primary way essential goods are delivered to these remote communities, including diesel and gasoline for electricity generation, heating, and transportation, but also dry goods and construction material. Without our winter roads, many of these supplies would have to be airlifted at a significant cost increase.
Opening and closing dates are heavily dependent on weather and ice conditions. You can see the average dates here.
Safety on Winter and Ice Roads
Winter and Ice roads come with unique challenges and require caution to ensure safe travel. Here are important safety guidelines to keep in mind:
- Follow Speed Limits:
- Winter roads and ice roads have posted speed limits to protect the structure.
- Moving too fast can create waves under the ice, leading to cracks or even failures, especially near shorelines where ice is more vulnerable.
- Speed limits help distribute weight evenly and keep the roads stable.
- Heavy vehicles should keep extra space between each other to reduce stress on the ice.
- Respect Load Limits:
- Heavy loads increase the pressure on the snow and ice.
- Always check and follow the weight limits posted for different parts of the road.
- These restrictions are in place to protect both drivers and the road itself, ensuring that vehicles don’t overstress the structure.
- Stay Updated on Conditions:
- Winter roads open and close throughout the season based on ice and weather conditions.
- It's crucial to check for the latest updates on road status and conditions, as closures may happen suddenly with changes in weather or ice strength.
- The best source for current conditions is DriveNWT.ca.
- Watch for Visibility Hazards:
- High winds and drifting snow can quickly reduce visibility, especially on roads that cross lakes and exposed areas.
- In such conditions, it’s easy to lose track of the route, so use extra caution when visibility drops.
- Stay Aware of Cracks and Ice Quality:
- Ice can naturally crack under the weight of vehicles, especially with temperature changes.
- Crews repair cracks and monitor the ice’s condition, but springtime or sudden warm spells can cause rapid changes in ice quality.
- Be prepared for unexpected surface conditions, especially later in the season.
- Never Drive on a Closed Road:
- Roads are closed for the safety of the traveling public. Please obey all signs. Roads are opened as soon as they are safe to do so.
- The best source for current conditions is DriveNWT.ca.
Building Winter and Ice Roads
Each year, construction crews work tirelessly through some of the harshest conditions to build and maintain about 1,400 km of winter and ice roads (about the same distance as from Yellowknife to Edmonton).
- The process begins in November, at temperatures below -20°C to -40°C, with limited daylight.
- Crews clear snow from lakes and trails, allowing ice to form thicker layers without snow insulation.
- Using specialized vehicles and equipment, they track ice thickness with ground-penetrating radar, ensuring roads are safe for public use.
- Early stages use lightweight, tracked vehicles designed to safely navigate thinner ice, while plows and other equipment strengthen the route.
- To make ice thicker, crews use techniques like "flooding," which involves pumping lake water onto the road surface to freeze additional layers of ice. This process is essential for creating safe passage and allowing these temporary roads to handle increased traffic as the season progresses.
- Mild temperatures can affect construction by making the snow or ice soft.
- Extreme cold can also have an impact because machines or workers and can impact opening dates and weight restrictions.
- Once the road reaches the required thickness, landings are built, and they are inspected for safety, it can open to the public.
Road Maintenance
Throughout the winter road season, INF staff or contractors are responsible for monitoring and maintaining NWT winter/ice roads. Maintaining these roads is an ongoing challenge, especially with changing climate conditions.
Heavy snowfall can delay ice formation by insulating the surface, and warmer temperatures can cause roads to soften earlier than expected. Ice maintenance crews respond quickly by clearing snow drifts, repairing cracks, and continually monitoring ice thickness to keep the roads operational as long as possible.
Despite these challenges, winter roads remain a vital part of life in the NWT, connecting remote communities and supporting the local economy. The GNWT is dedicated to ongoing innovation to keep these roads safe and reliable.