Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Providence (Dec 10/99) - After more than two weeks of waiting, water levels at the Mackenzie River ferry crossing near Fort Providence finally rose enough to resume service Tuesday.

The ferry is running on a 24-hour schedule, but was restricted to one large truck and various light traffic per shuttle due to navigational measures, according to Les Shaw, director of marine services.

"We still have some very shallow spots out there we have to be careful of," he said Tuesday afternoon. "We've kind of got a set of goal posts we've got to go through."

Shaw warned that there will possibly be delays due to ice, fog and fluctuations in the water level. Things were looking promising Tuesday, though, with water levels continuing to rise.

The ice crossing is progressing too. Department of Transportation employees are already constructing the approaches to the ice bridge, he noted.

The disruption of the ferry service effectively cut off vehicle traffic to Fort Providence and Yellowknife, and was reported in the media nationally. Shaw said there were approximately 150 calls fielded daily at his office in regards to the situation.

The residents of Fort Providence will now be able to get back and forth once again and supplies will start to trickle into the community.

Theresa Vandell, who works for a local garage with her spouse, Wayne, said she relies on various parts and oil from Hay River. Up until Tuesday, she had stocked up on some supplies in Yellowknife at higher cost and has had to pay extra for some things to be slung across the river by helicopter.

"I'm also worried about our propane because we usually get our propane from Hay River for our shop," she said. "It's a little frustrating."

Doug Bryshun, of the band/Metis Development Corporation, said the grocery store and construction company under the Development Corporation were both feeling the pinch. The pre-fabricated metal building for the new curling rink was stalled at the ferry crossing when the boat shut down.

"Even if it were to open up in the next week or so, it's still putting us into very cold weather for working with metal. It puts that project in jeopardy," Bryshun said last week, adding that he too had concerns about diminishing levels of propane.