County residents will have to take the long way around Lac La Biche Lake for the foreseeable future, as officials say the ice isn’ t ready to support ice road traffic.
Julie MacIsaac, Lac La Biche County spokesperson, said county employees have been conducting weekly tests on the ice, and as of last week, it’ s been getting a failing grade so far.
“While the weather has been cold lately, when the ice was measured on Tuesday (January 13), ice thickness varied and ice quality was poor,” she said.
Before the county can move ahead with the ice road, officials say the ice on the lake must be 19 inches thick. The lake’ s ice between the Lac La Biche Mission and Poplar Point has yet to reach that benchmark. MacIsaac said test spots showed ice thickness in the range of 12 to 15 inches, not robust enough for the county to consider clearing an ice road yet. Last week’ s milder weather, may also make the waiting game even longer.
“With the recent warmer temperatures, ice thickness will decrease and quality will suffer,” said MacIsaac.
County officials still only have one route planned - from the Mission to Poplar Point - if the ice does eventually prove worthy of supporting traffic. Once the ice is ready, MacIsaac said the clearing process should take about two days, and the road’ s longevity will depend on the weather.
MacIsaac said if and when the ice road opens, it should be usable between one and two months, depending on the weather.