Winter/Ice Roads

Winter roads and ice roads are vital arterials in the north to provide access and allow transportation of goods and equipment to remote areas that are not accessible during the remainder of the year. As temperatures rise in the north at 3x the rate of that elsewhere, safe operating seasons for the winter/ice roads are shrinking rapidly and putting strain on their important purpose for the people that rely on them.

Remote communities use these roads to travel in the winter between communities and to larger centers for things such as medical appointments and to visit family. They also transport fuel, building supplies, non-perishable foods and other goods to minimize transportation costs and get them through the year. Industrial sites such as mines, oil and gas leases and renewable energy sites (wind and solar farms) use the roads to transport heavy equipment as well as goods such as fuel and other heavy consumables.

By monitoring the ground/tundra and ice bridge temperatures in real-time, road constructors and operators can use data to understand the current conditions and maximize the safe open window for the road. The remote telemetry on the system minimizes the need for staff to transverse over the road route simply to check frozen thickness, making it safer for the workers. Customizable ice road cables can allow the operator to monitor as deep into the ground as they wish, with an appropriate amount of sensors and sensor spacing to meet their needs. On the North Slope of Alaska, operators have gained up to 1-1.5 months of extra opening window.