Polski
From the world, Issue 2/2026
Ice roads, or when frozen water becomes a highway
Feb
Ice roads only appear for a short while, but in that short time they can make life easier and sometimes even enable the survival of people living in entire regions. When lakes, rivers and even parts of the sea are bound by frost, the frozen water becomes a route for cars and trucks carrying fuel, food and construction materials. Columns of vehicles glide along the white sheet, cutting tens and sometimes even hundreds of kilometers short, supplying isolated settlements.
How are ice roads formed?
In theory, it sounds simple: the reservoir freezes, so you can drive on it. In practice, an ice road (ice road) is a living structure that reacts to temperature, wind, snow and load, and its parameters can change faster than drivers would like. And that’s why before the first vehicle appears on it, the most important stage begins: route reconnaissance and preparation.
First, measurements are taken of the thickness and quality of the ice, and the route is determined so that it avoids the riskiest places: under-ice currents, river mouths, constrictions and zones where the cover builds up unevenly. The next stage is preparatory work, carried out with maintenance equipment. Of particular importance is the clearing of snow from the travel lane – the snow acts as a quilt, insulating and slowing the growth of ice. If the route is to gain more load-bearing capacity, the cover is further strengthened by pouring water over it and increasing its thickness. At the end, signage is introduced: poles, signs, entrance gates, and sometimes passing places.
The ice road is not started and left unattended for the entire season. Its condition is monitored on an ongoing basis, and decisions to maintain traffic are made based on current measurements and observations. It happens that in the morning the route is passable, and in the afternoon traffic is stopped – it is enough that snow blows on it, the temperature rises, water appears on the surface of the ice or cracks under load.
When are ice routes opened and closed?
The opening and closing dates depend on the region, the type of water body and the weather in a given year, but most often the dates fall within the January to March/April window. The freezing of a body of water is not equivalent to obtaining the load capacity required for vehicular traffic. That’s why approval thresholds are used: light traffic is launched earlier, and heavy transport is launched only after thorough verification of ice thickness and quality.
It also happens that the season does not start at all. All it takes is a warmer, changeable winter – with thaws, precipitation, strong winds and wide temperature fluctuations – the ice then does not reach the carrying capacity required to run the route.
The most popular ice roads
Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (Canada)
This is one of the world’s most famous ice routes, often considered the longest. In a typical season, the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is about 400 kilometers, of which approx. 87 percent. It runs along frozen lakes, including Tibbitt, Dome, Lockhart, Lac de Gras and Contwoyto. Other sections are known as portages, or short stretches of land connecting more bodies of water.
The road was established in 1982 to supply the Lupin gold mine. Over time it became a key corridor for the diamond industry, and today it is used primarily by the Ekati, Diavik and Gahcho Kué mines. In practice, this means one thing: in a short season, supplies must be accumulated for a whole year. Every winter, some 3,200 loads – from fuel and spare parts, to equipment and food, to explosives – travel north.
Preparation of the route usually begins in mid-December, while the opening depends on whether measurements confirm adequate ice carrying capacity. For the 2025/2026 season, the road opened on February 14, 2026 at. 8:00. The route itself is designed with a large margin of width: on ice it is about 50 m, while on land sections it narrows noticeably (usually to about 12-15 m). Traffic follows rules derived from the behavior of the ice under load: variable speed limits apply (10-60 km/h), and crossings are organized in intervals and convoys to limit dynamic loads and the risk of damage to the cover.
Koli – Vuonislahti Ice Road (Finland).
This is one of the north’s most recognizable roadside attractions, but above all a real convenience for residents of the region. The route is laid out on the surface of Lake Pielinen and is about 7 kilometers long, thus shortening the commute in the area by up to 51 kilometers.
In 2025/2026, the road was opened on February 2, after measurements indicating at least 42 cm of ice thickness. Simple but consistently enforced restrictions are in place: maximum vehicle weight – 3 t, speed – up to 50 km/h, minimum distance – 50 m, and no overtaking or stopping.
Rohuküla – Heltermaa (Estonia)
For years, the most recognized Estonian route was the Rohuküla – Heltermaa crossing, traced over the frozen sea between the mainland and Hiuma Island. It was described as the longest ice road in Europe and was usually about 26 km long. Over time, however, such winter connections became rarer and rarer, as milder seasons did not produce stable enough ice. The last time official ice roads were launched in Estonia was in 2019.
This year’s winter, however, brought more cold weather, and after a long break the ice roads in Estonia returned. First, a passage between the islands of Hiuma and Sarema (Tärkma – Triigi), about 17 km long, was opened – we have already reported on this route in the news. In the following days, other official ice roads were also opened: towards Kihnu and between the mainland and the island of Vormsi.
This event shows how variable winters are in the Baltic region – after years without ice roads, it only takes one cold season for the old solutions to return.
MAIN PHOTO: Hyougushi/Wikimedia
