Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 9, 2008

KA'A'GEE TU/KAKISA - Work is set to begin on a new bridge to cross the Kakisa River.

The bridge is being built to replace the existing structure located on Highway 1 near the access road to Kakisa. The existing Kakisa River bridge is 50 years old.

"The bridge is no longer functioning as originally intended," said Ann Lanteigne, the head of highway structures for the Department of Transportation.

When the bridge was designed trucks were smaller and the loads they carried were lighter, she said. To reduce the stress that heavy loads put on the bridge, restrictions have been in place for commercial trucks since August 2007. Trucks are required to travel at a speed of five kph down the centre line without breaking or stopping.

The new structure has been designed to handle larger loads and sizes at highway speeds, she said.

The bridge's deck will be 10m wide, two metres wider than the current one. The bridge will also be 180 m, almost 50 m longer.

Additionally, the new bridge, will be placed at a higher elevation so there's less of a dip as traffic comes down the hill to cross the structure.

"It's going to improve the visibility," said Lanteigne.

The new structure comes with an $18 million price tag that includes the removal of the previous bridge, engineering studies and one km of road realignment.

The project has a completion date of July 2009 but could be finished as early as this November, said Lanteigne.

The new bridge is designed to last 75 years.