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Mackenzie Valley Highway Extension

An all-season highway through the Mackenzie Valley that connects remote communities and eventually leads to the Arctic Coast has been a long-standing strategic priority for Canada. The Mackenzie Valley Highway Extension Project will extend the current highway system in the Northwest Territories (NWT) by 320 kilometres (199 miles), connecting Wrigley to Norman Wells and enhancing inter-community mobility.

Through our Indigenous partnership, K¡¯alo-²ÝÝ®´«Ã½, we have been supporting the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) with planning for this critical infrastructure effort since 2013, beginning with scoping and the environmental assessment. K¡¯alo-²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ prepared the project description report to initiate preliminary project screening and scoping. We also completed desktop and field studies for all terrestrial disciplines, making use, where possible, of data and studies completed for other corridor projects in the region.

A central focus of our work has been listening to and addressing the concerns of local and Indigenous communities. We believe the success of this project depends on building trust and incorporating diverse community concerns in planning and decision-making. We¡¯re incorporating Traditional Knowledge studies by Indigenous organizations into the environmental assessment and also facilitating collaboration between GNWT and different community groups. Through these efforts, we¡¯re helping create a project that responsibly meets the needs of the region and fosters stronger long-term relationships.

As the project continues to progress through its environmental assessment, we are simultaneously advancing roadway engineering, including geometric designs and geotechnical programs. When completed, the Mackenzie Valley Highway Extension will connect several remote communities along the Mackenzie River that have relied heavily on barge delivery of goods and equipment. It will offer improved all-season reliability and transportation resilience in the face of climate change as well as opportunities for economic growth and diversification across the NWT.