Capital pushes inland to solve gravel shortage

JOHN THOMPSON

The City of Iqaluit plans to build a five-kilometre road by June 2007 that will stretch past Upper Base to a new gravel source.

There’s a sense of urgency behind the project, because right now, the city is out of gravel.

“We have no gravel,” said Mark Hall, the city’s director of public works, “and we have very little sand supply.”

And without gravel, construction in Nunavut’s capital could grind to a halt, and the roads will only get bumpier. As a document presented to council last week puts it, unless a new source is found soon, “basic municipal road services will be placed in jeopardy due to a lack of resources.”

Of course, the proposed road also requires gravel to build it. Hall said one possibility for solving this problem would be to use small eskers — long, steep ridges of sand and gravel left behind by glaciers — found along the proposed road’s route.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada discovered two potential gravel deposits near Iqaluit during the summer of 2005, using ground-penetrating radar. One, in Tarr Inlet, has enough gravel to last five to seven years, while the other, past Upper Base, has enough gravel to last several decades.

The city chose the second site, known as “the northwest area.” Now they need a road to reach it.

City council approved drawing $300,000 from the city’s gravel reserve fund during an April 25 meeting.

That money will be spent developing a road design and quarry layout this summer — projects for which the city will now issue requests for proposals. That money will also cover hiring a company to develop a quarry management plan by the end of 2006.

A new road will need to be approved by the Nunavut Impact Review Board, a process that usually takes about 45 days. City staff hope to have the NIRB screening done by September 2006.

Nunavut’s Department of Community and Government Services has committed to spending $150,000 to help verify the quantity and quality of the new gravel supply by September 2006, according to the city.

But before this happens, a joint agreement between the city, the Government of Nunavut and INAC still needs to be signed.