Winter road
A Winter road is built over land on compacted snow, frozen tundra and bare ground, or on a floating ice cover. Segments of a winter road that cross an expanse of floating ice are also referred to as an ice road or an ice bridge. Conversely, a winter road may be built mostly on floating ice, with occasional land crossing called 'portages' - the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is an example.
Winter roads facilitate transportation during the winter to, from and within isolated areas in the North where there are no permanent roads. They enable supplies to be brought into communities in these areas. The only other alternative, providing there is a small airstrip nearby, would be to rely on air transportation. However, this can be prohibitively costly, especially for bulk material. In some areas, climate change is observed to affect winter roads, notably by contributing to a significant reduction in their operational lifespan.
