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.
