Winter road

This road typically runs over land and over frozen lakes, rivers, swamps, and sea ice.

[1] The foundations underlying over-land segments is most often native soil or muskeg frozen to a given depth, and locally, bedrock.

[3] The weight of the vehicle is supported by the buoyancy of the floating ice and by its resistance to flexure.

[4] They enable supplies (e.g. food, fuel, construction material) to be brought into communities in these areas.

[5][6] In some areas, climate change is observed to affect winter roads, notably by contributing to a significant reduction in their operational lifespan.

Example of an over-land segment along a winter road, in northern British Columbia
Example of an over-ice segment, here crossing the frozen Albany River in Northern Ontario