SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
How do you stop bison from crossing a kilometre-long bridge and blocking traffic? Wolf urine, of course, among other things, according to an official with the Department of Transportation.
After more than 10 years of planning, four years of construction and an estimated cost of $202 million, the Deh Cho Bridge officially opens today, guaranteeing Yellowknifers will never run out of bananas again, says one official with the Department of Transportation. - photo courtesy of Gregory J. Nyuli
Deh Cho Bridge by the numbers
- Speed limit: 50 km/h
- Design life: 75 years, likely longer with some repairs
- Length: 1,045 metres
- Width of road: 10.4 metres
- Height of bridge deck: 27 metres above the water, on average
- A-pylons peak height: 54 metres above the water, on average
- Amount of steel: 13,860 tonnes
- Amount of concrete: 36,000 tonnes
Source: Ann Kulmatycki, head of structures section with the Department of Transportation |
Today, the long awaited Deh Cho Bridge will open to traffic for the first time. The official launch will be marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, scheduled today at 2:45 p.m. This opening is the result of more than eight years of planning, four years of construction and an estimated cost of $202 million.
With the bulk of construction work finally behind them, project leaders are still busy putting final touches in place, such as wildlife deterrents. Bison are common along Highway 3, and while the animals are not known to cross the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence, precautions are being taken.
Next spring, Texas gates - deterring grates wide enough for bison hooves to fall through - will be installed on the approaches, said Ann Kilmatycki, head of the structures section at the Department of Transportation. In the meantime, wolf silhouettes and wolf urine will be used on either side of the bridge to deter bison from risking the crossing, she said.
"We've painted white lines on the approaches to imitate the Texas gate," said Kilmatycki of the department's wildlife deterrents for the coming season. "We're also going to be making wolf silhouettes and placing wolf urine as a deterrent."
So far in the project's history, no bison have shown any interest in crossing the bridge during the winter, said Kilmatycki.
While the bridge will be open to traffic after today's opening celebrations, there is construction work still to be done over the next year.
Emergency phones, hand rails and lighting are scheduled to be installed beginning in June 2013, said Kilmatycki. There is no cell-phone reception at the bridge crossing or in the nearby community of Fort Providence. There are no sidewalks across the bridge, either.
The emergency phone contract is currently out to tender, said Kilmatycki.
Eighty-nine-centimetre tall steel rails have been installed to prevent vehicles from going over the side. When hand rails are installed next year, they will add another 30 centimetres to the height of the railings, she said. The only lighting currently available on the Deh Cho Bridge are reflectors, the last of which were in the process of being installed in the days leading up to the opening.
Next year, lighting will be installed on the suspension cables, as well as the two A-pylons spanning the bridge. Marine navigation lights to guide river traffic through the centre channel under the bridge and aeronautical lights to mark the top of the pylons will also be installed.
Kilmatycki, who has worked on the bridge project for the last two and a half years since the GNWT took over the project from the now-defunct Deh Cho Bridge Corporation, said she is ultimately very happy with the project.
"I think it was a success because we have the bridge, it was completed," she said. "The goal was to ensure top quality and safety, and we have done that."
The bridge is designed to last 75 years, but will likely last much longer with ongoing maintenance to the surface pavement and concrete portions, said Kilmatycki.
The all-weather road to Yellowknife will allow businesses in the city to keep their supply lines open year-round and avoid added costs associated with flying in supplies during the shoulder seasons, said Jeff Kincaid, manager of business and member development at the Yellowknife Co-op store.
"It's just a lot more convenient for us," he said. "We're really looking forward to having the bridge open."
Customers at the Co-op will not see an increase in prices due to commercial tolls on the bridge because the company already includes added costs to its goods of flying in supplies when the ferry is out, he added.
As a Yellowknife resident, Kilmatycki said she is looking forward to a consistent supply of fresh produce to the city.
"I think we'll have fresh fruits and vegetables all year," she said. "We will never run out of bananas again."
