Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman Mr. Chairman, on the community access road improvements, that's a Building Canada shared funding I can see. We also have the community access road program. That's not here because it's an O and M program, I believe. I'm wondering if there's a clear distinction between which types of roads this capital addresses, and the O and M program with relatively the same name, if that addresses different types of roads. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will defer this question to ADM Robertson.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Ms. Robertson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is a capital project within here that is called community access roads. This is for improvements on access roads that the GNWT, which it is responsible for, they form part of the GNWT public highway system. Just to answer the question about the community access program, that is approved within our main estimates. That's a contributions program that is approved annually within our O and M appropriation. It provides contribution funding for communities to deliver community-based projects for access roads and trails and other infrastructure that is community infrastructure. It's a contribution program to communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Robertson. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I hope this question wasn't asked already here. I missed that line of questioning, but it's regarding Merv Hardie Ferry that's sitting by the Deh Cho Bridge. I am wondering what the plan for that ferry is? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is currently sitting there as a spare, and we're open to options in the future what we can do with it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, does the department know how long a vessel such as this can sit on dry dock before it is no longer usable? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This ferry is sitting there right now, but we do our annual maintenance on it. If we were to deploy it, we would have to do an evaluation, and see what kind of investment would have to be made to put the ferry back in service. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have no further questions on this page.
Next, we have Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Similar to the previous department, I want to take this opportunity to commend the Minister and his department for the work that they have done on the Ingraham Trail. There has been a lot of good work with continuing to do chip seal and widening on the road, and we know that there has been some brush clearing and what have you done in the last couple of seasons, and that is greatly appreciated.
I just want to touch on something that I've touched on a couple of times over the past couple of years, and that is with regard to some guardrails along the Prosperous boat launch area. Can the Minister provide some update as to whether we will or will not actually be seeing an investment in installing guardrails around the corners near the Prosperous Lake boat launch? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are at the planning, including survey and design work is under way for the possible installation of guardrails at kilometre 13.5 and kilometre 18.7, but we are looking at other options because guardrails might not be the only solution as well on this. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate what the Minister is saying. That is kind of the message he's been providing for a little while. What sort of options are we considering if we are not considering guardrails? Is there some kind of engineering being considered for realignment of the road, or maybe he can elaborate? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Exactly that. We are having a look at possibly realigning this road in the very near future going forward, and we are looking at what types of solutions that would be, and that's why guardrails may not be the best solution at this time if we are looking at realigning this section of highway. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate the Minister sharing that information. I am certainly supportive of the longer-term approaches rather than the short-term approach, if that's the way in which we actually are going to go.
Speaking about roadside or road safety on the Ingraham Trail, I would like to bring to the Minister's attention to the idea of a roadside pull-out being considered at an area known as Big Hill Lake. A number of constituents have brought that matter to my attention, that vehicles are parking directly on the road. We know that you're not supposed to park on the road anywhere on the Ingraham Trail. A number of vehicles sometimes go nose first into the ditch. It's a steep ditch. This year, it was a rather wet ditch. There has been residents who have had to pull visitors or tourists out of that ditch. Does the Minister believe that there might be a good case for designing and building a roadside pull-out at Big Hill Lake on Ingraham Trail? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, along with my other department of ITI, we are in discussions with Infrastructure. We are having a serious look at this. We are considering future plans on what we're going to do in that area as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That's, again, welcome news from the Minister. Future plans, is that again sort of relevant to pre-design kind of engineering aspects? Is it something that would come out of maybe budgets that we have within this year? What are we considering? When are we considering this? What exactly are we considering? What kind of time frame are considering? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just for the Member's information of the funding for the engineering on this is done from within, so we are working on that presently. We are looking at possibly maybe moving on this, depending how things go with ITI and stuff, but moving this for the next capital planning session after this one, so it would be 2020-2021. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate the additional information. One of the things that I would maybe suggest or recommend in consideration in that as well is the idea of just some more signage along the Ingraham Trail indicating that parking is not allowed on the Ingraham Trail. It has been a serious safety issue where folks viewing aurora have actually just parked on the road in the middle of the dark with no lights on, et cetera, and, of course, other vehicles come upon them without seeing them that well. I think we need to improve signage on the roadway a little better indicating to tourists who are new to town and renting vehicles that you can't park on that highway, so that could be welcomed. That's just a suggestion.
But lastly, not long ago, and again, I commend the department for the work that they have done, just out here in front of the Legislative Assembly along what was referred to formerly as Highway No. 4, the entrance into Yellowknife. They've done some good work with the crosswalk, as well as the path work in the area. I'm just asking today, is the path work that they've done, is that complete now, or is there some consideration being done towards hard topping or paving the pathway work that was put down there a year ago? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. A couple of comments first on the Ingraham Trail. We are working closely with ITI and NWT Tourism. Those discussions are ongoing about how we can improve the signage out on the Ingraham Trail. Just to update Members as well, all the rental cars now are going to have a map in there with all the different languages about the concerns of Ingraham Trail, so that is going to be out there to help support the tourism industry and hopefully alleviate some of the safety issues there. For the trail here, we are committed to paving our section, so that would be from the intersection up to the Nova Hotel, and we're working closely with the city. Hopefully, they will be able to do their half of this section going forward, but we want to do ours next year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Vanthuyne. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd just like to clarify a couple of things, and then I'll have some other questions. When the Minister talked about the highway culverts, bridges, and chip seal overlay and he talked about Trout Lake River and Jean Marie River bridges, is that supposed to happen this fiscal year, or is it the year after? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That work is going to commence in 2019-2020. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, and I thank the Minister for that. I mean, it's been long overdue, and some of the bridges need a little more work so it ensures that traffic, especially heavy traffic, can get across those bridges. I greatly appreciate that.
Can the Minister advise if Axe Handle Creek, Bouvier Creek, and Red Knife Creek, if those sections are going to be enforced? As I drive over them numerous times, I see certain sections of the road, the rails are kind of falling in. Is that being looked at? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That section of highway, there are some inspections taking place. Minor repairs will be done as needed, and major repairs will be looked at in future years. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that. I mean, I appreciate the department is looking at that. If it is minor, that would be great. If it is major, I know that there are certain sections that the department is working on, and I have to give credit to both sides, the Providence side and the Simpson side, for the work they are doing on it. I have given the Minister a hard time about the potholes, so I appreciate the work they are doing on that.
When we talked about Highway No. 1 reconstruction, does the department have a plan that shows which section the work is going to be done on, and is it available to myself and the Members that are affected by Highway No. 1? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Schumann.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Embankment drainage improvement on kilometre 207 to 212 for 2018-2019. In 2019-2021, rehabilitation, including widening, drainage improvement, culvert installation, sub-base course construction, and chipsealing from kilometre 212 to 222. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister provide that information to us so that I know exactly where? I do have a map, and it has those numbers, but I am not too sure where those numbers are. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
