The governments of Canada and Northwest Territories have officially opened the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway (ITH), which is one of the largest and most important infrastructure projects in northern Canada.

ITH is claimed to be the first highway in Canada to connect to the Arctic Ocean and provide year-round road access to the community of Tuktoyaktuk.

Canadian Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi said: “This is a historic day for Canada. Our country is connected by road – for the first time ever – from coast to coast to coast. The federal government is proud to have supported the construction of the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway.

“It is a key piece of infrastructure that will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the lives of Northerners. Moreover, this investment will help ensure that the people of Tuktoyaktuk have year-round access to essential services and a reduced cost of living.”

“This investment will help ensure that the people of Tuktoyaktuk have year-round access to essential services and a reduced cost of living.”

Work on the ITH began four years ago. This project included construction of nearly 140km of road, eight bridges, and 359 culverts.

For this project, the Canadian government contributed up to C$200m ($156m), while Northwest Territories contributed C$99m ($77m).

Northwest Territories Minister of Infrastructure Wally Schumann said: “Transportation has always been at the forefront of enabling Northerners to grow and develop our economy, and never has it been more important in guaranteeing our future growth and prosperity than today.

“Expanding our transportation system with the opening of the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway will help us connect residents to new social and employment opportunities, stabilise the cost of living in the territory, increase our resiliency and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and provide better access to natural resources.”

ITH is expected to improve quality of life for local residents and enhance tourism opportunities.