N.W.T.'s Deh Cho bridge expected to be repaired by year's end, to the tune of $7M

The Deh Cho bridge in the N.W.T. should be repaired by the end of the year if a shipment of materials isn't delayed any further, according to the territory's infrastructure minister. 

The bridge, which crosses the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence, has been reduced to one lane since August 2023 when a broken cable was discovered. After an inspection last year, the department said its engineers discovered that the issue was with the metal used to cast the faulty piece.

Since then the department has fixed that piece, along with the remaining 24 pieces cast from the same metal. 

Repair work for the bridge was first set to happen this past summer, and later pushed to October, but the infrastructure minister said there was a delay in getting the necessary materials up to Yellowknife.

Caroline Wawzonek, the minister of infrastructure, said those materials have now been shipped and are expected in early November. She said the bridge should be fully functional by the end of the calendar year. 

The repairs are expected to cost about $7 million, according to Wawzonek. 

Sheryl Yakeleya, MLA for the Dehcho, talked about the bridge on Tuesday in the Legislative Assembly. She said her constituents are concerned over the bridge's safety and frustrated by delays from reduced traffic. 

"My constituents aren't the only ones impacted," Yakeleya said. "The bridge is important for many residents of the N.W.T. and for tourism and other industries as this is a year-round highway linking Yellowknife to the south." 

The Deh Cho Bridge opened in 2012. It cost $202 million to build.

The department of finance previously told CBC News the loan for the bridge's construction is projected to be paid off in 2046 and that by then, the territory will have paid approximately $503 million.