Highways in Nunavut

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Contrary to popular belief, a few notable roads and highways indeed exist in Nunavut. An estimated total of 850 km of roads and highways are spread across the vast territory.

Over the next decade the amount of roads in the territory is expected to increase rapidly as more communities are linked together, and a road link to Manitoba is at planning stage.

Most vehicles in the Territory are moved from community to community and in and out of the Territory by large barges that move during the summer shipping season. Less commonly, vehicles may be flown in on a cargo plane. Car companies will usually fly vehicles in to test them in arctic conditions.

There is currently one winter road that provides access to the western portion of Nunavut from the Northwest Territories during the months of February to March.

A stop sign in Inuktitut syllabics, seen in Iqaluit, Nunavut, northern Canada, 1999

Highways in Nunavut are not yet numbered. Street signs are in English, Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.

Compared to the rest of Canada, maintaining a vehicle in Nunavut is expensive. Rough roads and harsh weather result in expensive upkeep for vehicles, and despite being subsidised by the government, gas prices are among the highest in Canada. Parts can take an extremely long time to ship in and are very expensive. Mechanics also charge a premium, since very few do business in the territory. Due to the lack to a cohesive road network, aircraft are still the preferred way to travel, along with ATVs through most of the year, snowmobiles in winter, and boats during the summer months. Travel by dog sled has largely disappeared, although recreational dogsledding is still common.

About 4000 vehicles are registered in the Territory. All makes and models of vehicles can be found in the territory, but the most common are heavy duty four wheel drive vehicles such as sport utility, jeeps and full size vans. A wide range of vehicles can be found in Iqaluit, where the government tends to do most of its business and the road system consists of paved and chip-sealed portions, although it too is primarily dirt.

Despite Nunavut's isolation from the rest of Canada's road network, the license plate game can still be played. Provincial license plates can be found from Newfoundland & Labrador, Quebec, and Northwest Territories, as well as government plates from the Department of National Defence, but vehicles of all provincial plates can sometimes be found in the territory. Nunavut, like the Northwest Territories, is one of the few jurisdictions in the world where non-rectangular licence plates can be found; which soon may change as the Nunavut Government is considering a license plate design change to avoid confusion with that of the Northwest Territores once more road connections and highways are built. ^{[citation needed]}

Vehicles can display their old provincial plates for ninety days before they must be registered in the territory.

1 Important roads and highways in Nunavut
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] Important roads and highways in Nunavut

[edit] Yellowknife to Contwoyto Lake Winter Road

This is currently the only way to drive to Nunavut from the South. The winter road services a number of mines in the Western edge of Nunavut as well as mines in the Northwest Territories.

A 210 km all weather extension is planned from Contwoyto Lake to the tiny town of Bathurst Inlet where a port will be built to provide shipping to nearby communities.

The entire road is 568 km and is the world's longest heavy haul ice road. It is open between February and March each year.

[edit] Arctic Bay to Nanisivik Highway

This 21 km stretch of Highway connects the town of Arctic Bay to the former mining town of Nanisivik. This road has become less important since the mine shut down. The locals still use it for access to the Nanisivik airport and shipping port, and local hunting. The road also gained world fame for a number of years when it was used for the midnight sun marathon run.

[edit] Eureka Highway

This is a 20 km all weather highway that provides the link from Eureka Weather Station to CFB Eureka and the Eureka Airport.

This road is also notable as the last Road in Canada with a road sign in imperial measurement.

[edit] Federal Road, Iqaluit

The main drag in Iqaluit, this road provides access from the Airport to the City Centre as well as the Nunavut Legislature Building. This road is one of the few in the territory that is paved.

[edit] Road to Apex, Iqaluit

This road provides access from Iqaluit to the original community of Apex (Niaqunguut). The road was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in order to keep their soldiers busy while they waited for the sea-ice to open up to let them go home in the summer of 1956.

The bridge across Kujesse (Apex Creek) was a gift from the Government of Ontario's Department of Highways the following year.

The inaugural trip down Apex Hill led to a truckload of soldiers in the ditch. The brakes on the army vehicle had not been challenged for several years in the "flats" of what was then Frobisher Bay, and they did not hold when tested on the new road. Only pride was injured when the truck hit the ditch on its first trip.

Prior to the road being built, schoolchildren living near the base at "Ikaluit" walked to Federal Day School in Apex over the sea ice or stayed with relatives in Apex, as the base in Frobisher Bay was "off limits" to Inuit.

Today, this road has been developed along much of its 5 km (3 mi) length. It is now one of the busiest roads in the territory, a typical rush hour sustains 500 cars an hour, although rush hour itself is locally called "the rush minute"!

[edit] Alert to Alert Airport Road

This roughly 6 km stretch of all weather road is the most northern stretch of road in the world. This road provides access from CFB Alert to the Alert Airport.

[edit] Road to Nowhere, Iqaluit

This road has been the butt of quite a few jokes. Some say that the road was originally built to go to a new municipal landfill, which was subsequently cancelled. Thus, for some the road has come to symbolize the vast government expenditures dumped in the territory during its creation. Although some property development has commenced at its southern end, the road currently extends north well out into the tundra where it ends abruptly.