In a largely greenfield region like the Northwest Territories, there are opportunities to plan new infrastructure projects with resource potential firmly in mind.
Under the GNWT Department of Infrastructure's (INF) Transportation Strategy, INF is advancing the planning for three transportation corridors: the Tłı̨chǫ All-season Road, the Slave Geological Province (SGP) Corridor, and the Mackenzie Valley Highway.
The SGP is a region of high mineral potential and is host to the NWT's diamond mines and most of the NWT's past producing gold mines. The SGP has the potential to sustain the NWT mineral development cycle for decades to come. The current route being considered was informed by mineral potential mapping to guide the planning to maximize the potential for future resource projects. With recent funding investments by the federal government and the GNWT, work is progressing on all three of these strategic infrastructure projects.
This talk provides an overview of these transportation infrastructure initiatives, highlighting the role of mineral potential mapping in scoping of the SGP Corridor route.