The Member for Tu Nedhe asked me if the Department of Transportation had looked at alternatives to calcium as a surfacing material on the existing unpaved roads in the Northwest Territories.
The best material for stabilizing the surface of gravel roads depends on several factors, such as the strength of the road grade, the type of material in the road grade, traffic volumes and the available funds. Most of our gravel highways were built many years ago, and lack the strength required to support a rigid topping, such as pavement or chipseal. The best traveling surface is obtained from a product that remains flexible, is resistant to traffic wear, lasts over a summer season and can be reworked with highway maintenance equipment.
Calcium chloride has the required properties and it can be delivered and placed on our highways at an economical cost. The product comes from wells near Slave Lake, Alberta. The delivered cost for calcium chloride is much lower than for other competing products.
The department has considered and used products other than calcium chloride for stabilizing gravel highway surfaces. It has, for example, tried oil based and lignosulfate-based stabilization products. So far, no product is available that compares in price and performance to calcium chloride. It remains the Department of Transportation's best option for stabilizing gravel surface roads.
Mr. Speaker, my final return to an oral question is a return to a question asked by Mr. Krutko, the Member for Mackenzie Delta, referencing highway maintenance funding.