During the first phase of construction of the La Grande complex, some two million tonnes of merchandise travelled this highway. Now open to public traffic, this highway also fostered development of tourist, logging and mining opportunities in the region. In other words, the Cree name suggests that modern means of transportation are today put to good use by aboriginal peoples of the north. Before the La Grande Rivi re airport was commissioned, travelling between northern and southern Qu bec was a real expedition. Four other airports were built in the territory to make it easier to reach the different work sites of the first phase of the La Grande complex.
Air transportation is used mainly for worker travel and delivery of mail and newspapers.
To reach their work sites, however, the road builders needed . After all, helicopters and hydroplanes cannot transport heavy road-building equipment. The cold weather offered a solution. Winter roads were built, and lakes and rivers were crossed by ice bridges so the equipment could be transported to the work sites for the permanent road. The scope of the infrastructures required for the La Grande complex give some idea of the timetable when planning a hydroelectric facility.