Isolated Canadians welcome highway linking country's south to Arctic Ocean
Conceived in the 1960s, the first all-season highway to forge the connection will open on Wednesday morning: Its going to be a total impact
Jesse Winter in Toronto
Wednesday 15 November 2017 11.47 EST
For most of her life, if Laverna Smith wanted a fresh cut of beef, she had to board a plane to fetch it from the nearest butcher. But as of this week, she will be able to hop in her truck and drive there any day of the year although it will still be a round trip of 276km.
Canadas first all-season highway linking the countrys south to the Arctic Ocean officially opens on Wednesday at 6am. The $300m gravel road stretches from the regional hub of Inuvik to the coastal hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories.
It will trace a warm line across the tundra, making it the countrys only driveable north-west passage to the sea.
Smith hopes the new road will put an end to the isolation sometimes felt by the 800 inhabitants of Tuk.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/14/canada-highway-tuktoyaktuk-remote-towns