Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Hon. Norman Yakeleya, Minister of Transportation.
I hear with great interest that Highway No. 7 is still having its share of problems. That’s the section between Fort Simpson and Fort Liard. The conditions are still muddy, and the road is closed once again. This is really, really causing a lot of grief to constituents, especially those in Fort Liard. I know that the Minister committed to reconstruction and fixing of the drainage surface and great improvement. I’d just like to know what has been done in the planning stages so far, because I’m thinking that if they’re going to do that work, perhaps they should begin building that bypass road to provide uninterrupted access.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The challenge of Highway No. 1 has certainly been a very frustrating point in our work on Highway No. 7 with our department and our contractors. Work is being done in terms of Highway No. 7 reconstruction. We are digging up that part of the section. What we want to do is take part of the section, dig it up, put the proper basing in there to rebase the road, and then reconstruct it to a passable section of road. We are looking at options in terms of how we can keep traffic moving between Fort Liard and the other communities, so we will take the Member’s suggestion. If it gets really bad, then we would have to look at a bypass to keep the traffic flowing for the people in Fort Liard.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister to reach out and grab all the resources he has, put them together and then build our road.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to know how much work has been done to date. It’s apparent to constituents that it looks like nothing is being done, but I’d like to know: have tenders been provided? Who is going to do the work? When, at the bare minimum, can they build a bypass road past these muddy sections that are causing the most interruption?
Mr. Speaker, if I were to reach out, I would have other MLAs question me.
Mr. Speaker, we have looked at the road. We have a plan in place. Again, with the weather being on our side, Mother Nature plays a big part in terms of how much work we can get done. We want to do rebasing of that section. We are looking at it. I will instruct my officials to come back and look at the options. This is going to cause us a lot of hiccups during this season. We would have to look at a bypass that would at least be less disruptive to the travelling public of Nahendeh. I will get back and keep the Member informed. However, the contractors and our staff in that section are working extra hard. We’re working to see how soon we can get this road back into standard operational travelling condition.
Once again, the bypass road has got to be part of the reconstruction plans. I would like to know when they will be building and constructing the bypass road. Failing that, Mr. Speaker, can we get a bridge?
Mr. Speaker, we’ll have to wait for the bridge.
I will call my officials this afternoon, and we will, hopefully, have some discussions on the bypass road and see what type of work is being done so far. If a bypass road is something that we have to do, we will do it for the travelling public. However, I would like to first speak to my officials, and I will keep the Member informed in terms of the options that he’s talked about today.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to reiterate one more time the frustration of the travelling public and the people of my communities at having the road closed.
Once again, can the Minister tell me when he can start building the road? I think we can still move gravel, even if the conditions are rainy, up to the muddy sections there. Thank you.
I understand the frustration from Liard residents and people in Fort Simpson about the road closure. I understand completely, because I come from a region that doesn’t have a road. I know the frustration the residents are talking about. I would share my frustrations with the Member here. We are moving on this road. We are looking at what we can do. We are looking at how we can get this road back into drivable condition.
We did have a road that was transferred by the federal government to this government. The standards weren’t up to par, so we are reconstructing roads right across the North to bring them to meet the National Standards Safety Code and have the safety of our public on these roads as a first priority. I will get back and I will speak with the Member after the House in terms of the details of action. I wouldn’t mind taking him to Highway No. 7 here and looking at how we can do this road to satisfy his people.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.
