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DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
The GNWT is confident the Deh Cho Bridge over the Mackenzie River will be ready to open this fall.

A worker on the Deh Cho Bridge on Sept. 17 drives a machine blasting the deck to get rid of irregularities and rough patches on the concrete. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Earl Blacklock, manager of public affairs and communications with the Department of Transportation, said the target for the opening is late November.

However, Blacklock said that target assumes there will be no weather or temperature conditions that delay the work, especially the laying down of a rubberized membrane to waterproof the concrete deck.

"The surface has to be dry. The temperature has to be above five degrees," he said. "So if we get into an early winter, if we get into torrential rains, anything like that can definitely push construction back, but we are not expecting that. The long-range forecast seems to favour us."

Blacklock said the government is fairly confident the target opening will be met, but, if it isn't, the opening of the bridge at Fort Providence might not happen until the spring.

"It could still be delayed," he said. "As a risk, it's a fairly low risk at this stage."

Blacklock added no problems are anticipated based on historical weather and historical temperatures.

The Department of Transportation is confident enough in the timetable that it hosted a media tour on Sept. 17 to show how far along the project is at the moment.

On that day, workers were busy, among other things, paving the approach on the north side of the bridge, which is just approximately 1,000 metres long, and laying down sections of the rubberized membrane on the deck. Pavement will go over the membrane, which will help keep the concrete deck dry.

While the tour was taking place, Blacklock was in Fort Providence meeting with Deh Gah Got'ie First Nation about plans for the opening ceremonies.

"I can tell you that it will be something that reflects the contribution of the community, that reflects the contribution of the people of the Northwest Territories, and we'll have fun," he said of the plans.

Blacklock said a decision has already been made on who will be the first person to officially drive a vehicle across the bridge, although he declined to say who that will be.

The tour of the bridge was led by Ann Kulmatycki, head of the structures section with the Department of Transportation.

Kulmatycki said the 10.3-metre-wide deck is 100 per cent complete, the curbs are 95 per cent complete and the membrane is 20 per cent installed.

"Dates are hard to fix just because of weather and other influences, but right now the final asphalting is to be done during the second week of October, so just after Thanksgiving," she said, adding railings will then be installed and a specialized crew will come in to tune the cable. "Then the bridge will be ready for traffic."

The bridge features two towering 'A' pylons to which cables are attached to help support the 190-metre-wide and 20-metre-high centre span of the structure to allow barge traffic to pass underneath. There will also be a five-foot-wide shoulder on each side of the deck so people can walk over the bridge.

Kulmatycki is pleased with the project so far.

"I think it's quite grand to take a look at it," she said. "It feels wonderful to be up here in this space and it is a landmark for the Northwest Territories to be looking at a bridge of this magnitude."

The estimated cost of the bridge now stands at $202 million.

"At this stage, having completed as much of the work as we have, the closer you get to the end, the higher the confidence you can have in your estimate," Blacklock said.

Construction started on the bridge in 2008 and it is about two years behind its original completion target because of a number of well-documented delays.

Kulmatycki said the bridge is designed for a lifespan of 75 years.

"We anticipate that this bridge will last much longer than that," she said, noting it is in a fairly benign climate for bridges and it is not under salt attack. "With proper maintenance, the bridge should continue to last. Different parts will need to be replaced and repaired as time goes on, and with proper maintenance and rehabilitation the bridge could continue on well past its 75-year design life."

Kulmatycki said that could even be more than 100 years.

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