The Dettah ice road officially opened to traffic on Jan. 5 – one day earlier than it did in 2017.
Vehicles weighing less than 5,000 kilograms are permitted to travel on the road, the Department of Infrastructure tweeted last week.
The winter road stretches across Great Slave Lake from Rotary Park in Yellowknife to Dettah.
Ice is required to measure between 34 and 36 centimetres thick before opening to the public, said Nancy Zimmerman, communications manager at the department.
However, it’s another late start for the winter route compared to the road’s 15-year average opening date, which is Dec. 21.
The average closing date of the road is April 21.