According to Noront the money for the natives to study roads was for branch roads to their proposed EW road. Extensive studies and millions of dollars have already been spend on Noront's EW road proposal and they are still a long way off from an environmental approval for that road. Any new route would require new studies, engineering and environment approval. Unless the Noront proposed EW road is accepted you are looking at many more years of delay, assuming the money is there for this, let alone the construction.