James Bay winter road closes

A year after it was closed unexpectedly early due to unseasonably warm weather, the James Bay winter road lasted until the end of March for this winter season.
“It’s been in very good condition,” Wally Turner, operations manager of the winter road, said of this season. “We built one of the best roads we built in years.”
The James Bay winter road opened to light traffic on Jan. 16 and officially closed on March 29.
“Typically about this time, we shoot for the end of March,” Turner said on March 15, a year to the day the road closed last year. “Right now, it’s like the middle of winter. We still have a bit of snow covering up all the brown spots.”
Turner said the road conditions were “150 per cent better” this year compared to last winter.
“We had a pretty good freeze. And we were able to get a good frost penetration and it snowed when it needed to snow,” he said.
The road conditions and weather allowed for trucks to haul loads right up to the closure of the road.
Turner said the contractors were able to build on the experience of previous winter road seasons.
“We kind of have the Cadillac of winter roads,” he said. “That’s what we hear from the truckers. We hold our heads high when we hear those kinds of compliments.”
And while lighter vehicles may be able to continue using the road, Turner said it will be at their own risk.
“We try to encourage them to stay off it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Moose Cree’s Wetum Road officially closed on March 20.
The Wetum Road leads from Moose Factory to Otter Rapids, enabling drivers to reach the Ontario highway system.
This winter was the first time the road opened after two previous attempts to complete the road.
Moose Cree also closed the ice road between Moosonee and Moose Factory on March 28.