After decades of construction, the Trans-Labrador Highway — a giant infrastructure project that allows vehicles to drive from western Labrador to the Straits of Belle Isle — has been paved. Work on the 1,149 km long road began in the early 1980s, with sections of the highway being completed in phases.
On Tuesday, at Cartwright Junction, workers used rakes to smooth the asphalt, finally joining two separate sections of highway. Communities on the south coast began to connect to the highway while it was a grid road in the 1990s and early 2000s. Lisa Dempster, the minister responsible for Labrador Affairs, remembers the day the coastal birthplace was connected of, Charlottetown. “We connected to the outside world on December 10, 2001, in my community. And that was an important, monumental day for us as well,” Dempster said. “It changed the game for the way we lived.” Dempster said the highway’s completion was the result of many people advocating for paving for decades. He said the patience of local residents has been wearing thin in recent years, but the pandemic and delayed ferries due to strong winds played a role in the delay. Less than 100 meters from where the pavement was sealed on Tuesday is the gravelled Cartwright Access Road. GALLERY |Take a look at what the highway looked like over the years through photos from the public: It is one of the many access roads to the south coast that remain unpaved. Dempster said the province has competing priorities, but is going to focus on another transportation strategy for Labrador.

Next up: north coast road feasibility

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Elvis Loveless said it was a proud moment to see the pieces of pavement come together. He said a larger celebration is planned for the fall. Even though the highway is now paved, Labrador will continue to be a priority for the department, Loveless said. The new pavement meets the previously laid asphalt at Cartwright Junction on the Trans-Labrador Highway. Paving was completed for that section of road on Tuesday. (Heidi Atter/CBC) “Believe me, I can say with a lot of confidence that Labrador is not at the back now, before and it is moving forward,” he said. The province is completing a feasibility study on the possibility of creating a road to the northern coast. Loveless said they are finalizing consultations and defining their scope and hope to launch later this summer. The sidewalk was a welcome sight for Lynn and Tom Agnew, two tourists from Pine Valley, Ont. Driving to Labrador through northern Quebec, they said the dirt road on the Quebec highway was tougher on their camper and took longer than the paved Labrador highway. Flagger Thelma Sampson (from left), MHA Lisa Dempster, Lynn Agnew, Tom Agnew, Transport Minister Elvis Loveless. The two ministers presented a Labrador flag to the first couple to cross the highway. (Heidi Atter/CBC) “The roads were just incredible,” said Tom Agnew. “Everyone is so nice,” Lynn Agnew said. “They offered us to come and do our laundry at somebody’s house in Labrador City and they offered us a shower. Just. The people are so great, so it’s awesome,” she said. “Wonderful.” Highway workers, officials and Cartwright residents gathered Tuesday to celebrate the end of the construction project. (Heidi Atter/CBC) The two received a Labrador flag from the provincial government for being the first to drive over the new pavement. Lynn Agnew said while it’s her first time in the Big Land, she hopes other tourists drive by. “Don’t miss it. It’s worth the drive,” he said. “We’re just now being discovered,” Dempster said. “We have hundreds of kilometers of vast, unspoiled terrain. We have what the rest of the world wants to see. And we’re just now getting our infrastructure in place and opening for business.” WATCHES | From our archives, see stories about the early stages of work on the Trans-Labrador Highway:

The long and winding road

The Trans-Labrador Highway has been 40 years in the making and now it’s finally complete. Check out these archive stories from when road work began. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador