The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has announced that work has started on the Fort Chipewyan winter road, and the road is expected to open in the middle of this month. The temperatures during the day have been warm, making day time work on the road next to impossible. The RMWB issued a press release that explained crews will be doing the work at night because of the current temperatures, and this will continue until the temperatures during the day have fallen to “acceptable freezing ranges.” The municipality also stated that almost all of the northern rivers are getting close to the required thickness for light passenger travel. The Richardson River is an exception though, and the water trucks and road prep crews have made it this far but the ice is still not close to the thickness needed.

The Fort Chipewyan winter road covers close to 200 kilometres, winding through boreal forest and covering frozen streams, lakes, and rivers to allow travel. The announcement by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo detailed that grading crews for the winter road were as far as the Lencucha Bridge, and the crews from Fort Chipewyan have already graded across the Rivière des Rochers and the area is prepared for the flooding stage. The municipality will announce any relevant updates on their official website, and also through social media channels. Engineering crews for the municipality will be constantly monitoring the compliance with regulations as well as the thickness o the ice on the winter road.