SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With the second year of construction underway, questions remain over why the design plan for the bridge crossing the Mackenzie River has yet to receive engineer approval.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay speculated on Tuesday that the final design plan for the $165 million Deh Cho Bridge isn't approved yet because former Premier Joe Handley rushed into signing the agreement just days before the 2007 election.

"I would like to ask the minister if he could explain to the house, why or how a project of this magnitude gets so far along ... with no firm design being in place?" he asked in the legislative assembly.

Transportation Minister Michael McLeod conceded it would be a better situation had the design plan been approved before entering the agreement with the project overseer, the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation.

The plan must pass rigorous tests by an accredited engineer to meet the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code.

"We would all agree that the best case scenario would have the project sign off the design right up front," said McLeod.

"That was not the situation. Time and capacity didn't allow the final design as it requires very rigorous testing to be done on it, so all parties agreed that that would be done as we move forward."

He added that two preliminary reviews have been completed on the bridge design. McLeod said he expected the final review to be completed sometime this summer or fall.

When asked if there could be major redesigns to the bridge if it didn't pass the evaluation, McLeod responded: "that's always a possibility."

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley said he heard rumours about strife on the work site and wondered what the government had paid out in claims sought by builders for cost overruns.

"To date, I believe we have spent $36 million on this bridge project, and that includes some of the claims that were settled," said McLeod.

He said a little more than $3 million has already been paid out of the bridge's $10-million contingency fund for various claims.

The contingency fund is built into the $165-million maximum price.

Claims are sought by companies if they believe they incurred an unforeseen cost, which could come from delays, said McLeod.

He said all claims go through a public management board with representation from the government and the bridge corporation, which aren't always approved.

McLeod said while there have been challenges getting all the contractors to work together and get along, there are always a number of claims for projects this size. He said a facilitator has been brought in to talk to the different companies to see how they could improve their relationships.

Currently, the GNWT is set to pay $4 million each year on loans for the bridge, indexed over 35 years.

Behind schedule

Right now, a temporary work bridge is being constructed to put in the four piers in the Mackenzie River's north side. The temporary work bridge used to construct the four piers on the southern side of the river was scheduled to be taken out last December, but did not come out until March due to a late start. McLeod has hopes work on the bridge connecting Yellowknife to the south year-round will be back on schedule this summer.

"We're probably a little behind schedule on the Deh Cho Bridge," said McLeod.

"We're hoping to avoid that this year," he said, adding construction on the temporary work bridge on the North side began last weekend.

The bridge is scheduled for completion some time in December 2010.