YELLOWKNIFE, NWT – The third season of construction has been completed on the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway – a 120-kilometer all-weather highway that will offer a land connection to Tuktoyaktuk for the first time. Today, the only way to get there is by airplane.

One of the highlights of this year’s work included the connection of northern and southern sections. Work resumes this fall, and the northernmost section of the Mackenzie Valley Highway is scheduled to open in the fall of 2017.

The Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk link has been envisioned since the 1960s.

The federal government is contributing $200 million to the project, with the Northwest Territories adding $99 million.

One thing that sets this project apart is a series of unique construction techniques to protect the underlying layer of permafrost.

“The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway is a key piece of infrastructure that will help connect people, create jobs, and support economic development in the North. We are very encouraged by the progress of the project and look forward to the next stage of construction,” said Amarjeet Sohi, federal minister of infrastructure and communities.