Wetum Road
Wetum Road is a Winter road servicing the Moose Cree First Nation in Northern Ontario. The road is named for local councillors Peter Wesley (We) and Robert Echum or Robert Tum (tum).[1]
| Wetum Road | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Moose Cree First Nation Department of Public Works | |
| Length | 170 km (110 mi) |
| Existed | 2008–present |
| History | First built 2008 |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | Moose Facory 68 |
| South end | Otter Rapids north of Abitibi Canyon |
| Location | |
| Major cities | Moose Factory, Otter Rapids |
| Highway system | |
| Roads in Ontario | |
The road is approximately 170 kilometres (110 mi) long from Otter Rapids, Ontario to Moose Factory 68 just outside Moose Factory.[2] The south end then connects to Ontario Highway 634 in Fraserdale, Ontario to Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario where it connections to Ontario Highway 11 on to either Thunder Bay, Ontario or south to Toronto via Ontario Highway 400.
The road provides a key route to connect remote communities with areas to the south. [3]
Maintained annually since 2013, the road's construction and use depends on the weather each winter. The unpredictable season has prompted calls to construct a year round gravel road.[4]
Contractors are hired by Moose Cree First Nation, as the road is not part of the provincial highway system.
Coastal Winter Road runs from the opposite side of Moose Cree 68 on Moose River to Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Attawapiskat and farther west, along the Attawapiskat River.
See also
References
- http://www.moosecree.com/documents/feb2014_wetumname.pdf
- "Winter Road South - Moose Cree First Nation". www.moosecree.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- "Since ice roads won't stay frozen, we need to get serious about building permanent roads in the far north". TVO. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- "The Wetum Road: How much is connecting James Bay to the provincial highway worth?". TVO. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2018.