Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Thursday, August 23, 2007

Fort Simpson - After years of waiting for the official green light, the Dehcho Bridge Corporation is preparing to celebrate the confirmation that a bridge will be built across the Mackenzie River.

On Aug. 15 at the legislative assembly, Premier Joe Handley announced that the bridge project is proceeding.

The announcement was good news, said Michael Vandell, the president of the Dehcho Bridge Corporation.

In response, the corporation is organizing a community celebration that will be held on Aug. 24. A sod turning event and a ceremony to feed the fire and the water will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. at the ferry landing, following a community barbecue from 12 to 2 p.m.

During the celebrations an interim contract will be signed with one of the contractors for the bridge so that work can begin immediately, said Vandell. The corporation plans to complete $3 to $4 million worth of preparatory work over the fall.

The work will include clearing gravel sites to prepare the areas to crush gravel and also establishing the campsite. The plan is to have these facilities in place so work on the bridge project can start at the beginning of next June, Vandell said.

Starting preparation work is important because it will take two full years just to put the piers for the bridge in, said Andrew Gamble, project manager for the corporation.

"It's been a long time coming," said Gamble about the announcement.

The bridge will become one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the North in many years, said Kevin Menicoche, minister of transportation.

"I'm quite excited that our North and our communities will benefit from it," said Menicoche.

"This is a good news story, it's good for the North and it's good for business and it's good for the long term."

One of the main stumbling blocks for the bridge project has been the construction cost.

During his speech on Aug. 15, Handley announced that because of the escalation of construction costs the total project would now come in at over $150 million - $20 million over his May estimate of $130 million.

Handley said the GNWT is considering a "formal offer" from New Brunswick construction company Atcon Group. The company will build the bridge with a "guaranteed maximum price," with a completion date of 2010, he said.

Handley said the "main source" of the $150 million would come from tolls on north-bound commercial traffic, equalling $6/tonne in 2002 dollars (which could be well over $7/tonne in 2010).

The rest of the money could be comprised of diverted savings from the cancelled ice bridge and the ferry service (around $2 million a year), with an agreement to supply an additional $2 million, if it was needed, until the bridge is paid off. Handley said this may be offset by federal money in the future. To date the federal government has committed approximately $3 million.

The GNWT will continue to lobby the federal government for more money from infrastructure programs, said Menicoche. A contribution of $50 million is hoped for.

"They're very aware of our need for their support," Menicoche said.