Freedom Road has reached a milestone. 

Crews reached the Trans-Canada yesterday, as they work to connect the man-made island at Shoal Lake 40 First Nation with the mainland.

Paving has not yet been completed, as the community looks forward to ending a century of isolation. Community members hope to start using Freedom Road next summer.

Once the road is completed, First Nation members hope to attract jobs and economic opportunities, which will help to improve the quality of living. Members have been living with a boil water advisory for close to a generation, while residents of the City of Winnipeg draw their clean water from Shoal Lake.

The completion of Freedom Road may also lead to the start of work on twinning the Trans-Canada, as neighbouring First Nation chiefs have said completion of the road was a condition for allowing the start of twinning the highway.