by P.J. Harston
Northern News Services

NNSL (NOV 20/96) - The McMeekan Causeway poses a danger to snowmobilers, says a Yellowknife man.

Ted Mehler is concerned that recent work on the structure that links Back Bay and Yellowknife Bay has caused ice-forming patterns to change and may lead to someone going into the water.

"The changed water flow causes open water and thin ice beneath the structure and in approaches to the underpass," said Mehler.

He approached city council with his concerns about two weeks ago.

As a result, city workers placed small warning signs near the causeway, but Mehler said they're hard to see.

"It's fine for people who are familiar with the structure, but you have to know where to look to see these signs clearly," he said.

On Monday city workers erected barricades on the ice near the causeway to alert people to the hazard.

A letter from Mehler had been forwarded to council and to the federal minister of transportation asking for prompt action, Monday morning.

Mehler said -- prior to the barricades going up -- that the situation was an accident waiting to happen.

And if someone suffered a serious injury or died because of a lack of adequate signs or barricades, he suspects the city would be held liable.

He also suggested the city would be liable for any damages to property that resulted from an accident on the water.