Labrador Highway

lonnie4801 wrote:
Since we want to return to Newfoundland for another visit, and I would like to tour the power plant, we feel this will be the best route.

Check my photos in my signature. I toured power plant facilities in the Manic II and V, as well as Churchill Falls. You should. Yes, tours are en francais, but they give you an English text to take with you. Yes, I have some French, but still I think seeing is worth it, very much worth it.

Manic V



:C

Hubby wanted to see power plant but it was closed and but they did give him a summary of what it was all about...definetly not the same as a tour. The previous summer it was closed for tours for about 4 weeks so I hope you get to see it.

With a phone call you MAY be able to find how much has been paved and it would be up-to-date.

Georgous scenery:)

Thanks dcason. That is what I was looking for.

Gravel roads are not a problem for driving as long as there are not long stretches of washboard. I drive the road condition, not the speed limit, and I have never found the road condition of a gravel road to dictate exceeding the speed limit.

When driving on gravel roads I ALWAYS pull over and stop when meeting a truck, and slow down to 5-10 mph when meeting a car. In 3 trips to Alaska, including driving the motorhome up the Dalton Hwy twice to Coldfoot, the pickup 3 times to Deadhorse, and the pickup one time up the Dempster Hwy, and many miles on other gravel roads in Canada and Alaska, I have never has a broken windshield. That is because I stop for the trucks.

I have had broken windshields but they have always been on major paved highways.

It is my observation that trucks coming towards you cannot throw a rock up into your windshield. The truck throws up the rock and you drive into it. So if you are stopped, no broken windshield.

Also, I am retired and not in a rush. I have no problem with 20 and 30 mph on gravel roads. Since we want to return to Newfoundland for another visit, and I would like to tour the power plant, we feel this will be the best route.

Thanks again for the info and the blog.

When I did in 2006, the speed limit was 70 km which is less than 45 mph and I didn't want to go that fast.

Frankly, I think you can enjoy more, if you drive more slowly.

:C

Hubby and I did it in 2013...ferry from Newfoundland to Lab City and down to Quebec and home to NY.

More was paved than I could find online before we went...THAT was a nice surprise.

Read my blog post about the trip to see if it is for you.

In a nutshell the part in Labrador was "okay" and probably what we expected as far as road was concerned....meaning the unpaved parts...and since it was gravel we didn't expect a lot. We really didn't expect it to be washboard and mostly it really was not. The paved parts were a FINE gift. It took some experimentation to figure out how to "drive" on the gravel. It was NOISY (all hell broke loose in the back of our class c) and I had to run around back there and quiet things down as much as possible.

The Quebec part...suffice it to say (more details in blog) that had we started in the Quebec province part, we both would have turned around. YET, we did see two rv's (coming at us from that direction before we hit Lab City....and only two!) We assumed they had come up the Quebec route 138. Quebec portion was pretty hilly, ziggy zaggy, weavy winding...and my husband really wanted to have someone show the grader how to do the job. It is a transport route basically from south to the mines/dam....with trucks and some big ones trying to do their jobs. They are not driving 45 miles per hour but hauling it.

Labrador was drop dead georgous and I would do it again...when the road is paved all the way to Lab City. Not sure what I would do with the Quebeck portion...most likely plan my travel carefully to not have big trucks barreling down behind us. (We were fortunate and did not but I could see it could be a big problem with little places to pull over and they are in a hurry and experienced in driving this road).

We drove at around 45 miles per hour...which seemed to be the sweet spot if that particular portion of the road was not washboard. Mostly it was not washboard. Slower and it was noisier and faster...pretty much ditto. Road graders are there and working on it all the time. They are actively paving or prepping for paving.

Bring lots of food. We didn't do the satellite phone but luckily had no problems. You WILL NOT see many cars or trucks before you hit Churchill.

The NL government department makes decisions re road work some what dependent upon ice break up time.

- Remember frost heaves have to come out of the roads.

- Day temperatures depend upon broader weather conditions.

- For ice go to this site: http://weather.gc.ca/canada_e.html* At the top click on the pull down menu for Marine Weather. Click on East Coast. It gives you Labrador, both east and west Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence. They're all important.

* Note that interactive site also gives you official initial abbreviations for each province.

Now, I will point to the fact that there are several reports of unusually heavy ice this year. Much of Cape Breton Island's Bra d'Or Lakes are frozen and causing flooding in near by residences. & the Gulf of St Lawrence has lots of ice, which of course slows the movement of the ice in the Strait of Belle Isle and points north.

Thus, I'm forecasting late road work in adjacent lands.

Amateur citizen that I am.

:C

Thanks for the info. I have been following the websites and the news on the highway. Just wanted an update from someone who has driven it this year. I know they got it classified a Class A all-weather road in 2011 then started a 120 mile asphalt project.

I have no problem driving 450 miles on good gravel roads but don't want to drive through a 120 construction project. My main concern is how much they have completed and how much is still under construction. Also, are they doing it in short stretches or long stretches?

No amount of info on the internet is as good as eye ball info.

I did Newfoundland in 2007 and that is our object for 2015. In 2007 we drove the motorhome 2,500 miles and the pickup 2,000 miles while on the island so we saw a lot of it but want to go back for another visit, by way of Labrador.

Will also request an update next year before we leave for the trip.

The last section has been completed, eliminating the 12 hour ferry ride.
Might want to think long and hard before taking that trip in a large motor home. When I rode(motorcycle) it in 09 and 10, I don't think I saw a car or truck that didn't have a broken windshield. The Trans Lab "Highway" (really a two lane gravel road for a long way) was extremely rough in sections. They only campers I saw were 4wd pickups with either a small trailer or an in-bed camper. Gas was very expensive in places, don't know about diesel.
That said I do it again in a heartbeat. It's the last wilderness on the east coast Nd truly an amazing place.
You might look into doing a tour of Newfoundland. Almost as wild and the major roads are paved. (And a short ferry ride will get you to Labrador, so you can say you were there)
Dave

When you're search for information on Canada, remember ".ca" As in google. www.google.ca

Now, specific: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Labrador_Highway gives you a history of construction and is moderately up to date re. type of surface.

There is also the NL (Newfoundland & Labrador) government information http://www.roads.gov.nl.ca/cameras/trans_labrador.stm

& most importantly for any travel in NL. http://www.roads.gov.nl.ca/cameras/, not just because it gives road cameras online, but because it gives links to so many travel information sources. Memorize that one and you can use it anywhere with anyone's computers.


FWIW, I lived in NL for 24.5 years. ending in 2008 and talk/e-connect with people there regularly.


Please see my signature for 2006 trip pics.

:C