Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road

Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road: Connecting diamond mines in Northern Canada

   Where we are in the world

Northern Canada is home to many natural resources that have yet to be discovered because of the remoteness and isolation of the region. Starting in the city of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, the Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road connects various diamond and gold mines located throughout Northern Canada, allowing a ground transportation route to transport resources to and from mines.

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See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Source: “Mining Diamonds in the Canadian Arctic”

   Three key facts about this map

Most of the Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road is built on frozen lakes

Northern Canada has innumerable lakes from receding glaciers in the last ice age; because of this, it is impossible to pass through the region without crossing a lake. In the winter on the about 85% of the total route is on ice over frozen lakes, with the remaining 15% on land portages between the lakes. The road only operates on average 67 days per year – throughout February and March – when the temperatures are cold enough to support truck traffic on ice.

Because of the remoteness of the region, trucks travel in convoys

The Northwest Territories is an extremely isolated region – in order to avoid travellers being stranded, drivers must pass through an check-in point and orientation before travelling on the Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road. Only those approved (truckers providing fuel/resources to mining camps) are allowed to pass. For safety purposes, drivers travel in convoys of 3-4 trucks every 20 minutes – the time between protects the integrity of the ice while also providing a group to travel with.

Two lanes of traffic on the Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road (Source: Official website)

The Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road is a joint venture between competitors

Due to the remoteness of the dig locations, mining companies need to invest a ton of upfront costs to start operations – this includes plans to get resources to and from the remote mine sites. To spread these costs (~$20 million per year to build and maintain), competitors team together to fund the construction of the Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road as it benefits all participants. The three members of the JV to fund the road are Rio Tinto (Diavik Mine), De Beers (Gahcho Kue Mine), and Arctic Canadian Diamond Company (Ekati Mine).


   Additional links and sources

  • Official website of the winter road (link)
  • Textbook article about diamond mining in Canada (link, published in 2016)
  • Emergency response plan for those using the Tibbett to Contowoyto Winter Road (link, published in 2021)

Have you heard about this winter road before?


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