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New highway gives Trans-Canada new meaning

 

Canada has just opened its first highway to reach the Arctic Ocean, giving road access to all three of the oceans that bound it. The Trans-Canada Highway joins the Atlantic and Pacific.

The new road, in the Northwest Territories, connects Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Coast to Inuvik, which already has a land link on Route 8. The road, known as the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, or ITH, is 140 km long, with eight bridges and a staggering 359 culverts.

Tuktoyaktuk has a population of less than 1,000, but serves as a center for residents and villages over a wide area. Up to now, all supplies and trade for the area have had to come by sea (when it's not frozen) or by air. The new all-weather road will allow regular supply and economic growth in the area, as well as—just possibly—a small tourism industry.

The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations

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