You can expect the Deh Cho Bridge on NWT Highway 3 to remain down to single-lane traffic until at least the fall while it awaits repairs.
The bridge, which cost $200 million to build, spans the Mackenzie River just outside Fort Providence, providing a year-round highway link between Yellowknife and the south.
Traffic has been down to one lane on the bridge since early August last year, when one of 24 giant cables came away. The NWT government has since said the problem was a “metal adjustment bar” that connected the cable to its anchor on the bridge.
According to the Department of Infrastructure earlier this year, the metal bar had a suspected “metallurgical defect that caused it to fail.” The department said there was no sign that vandalism or a collision contributed to the incident.
Initially, the GNWT expected repair work to take place this summer. Then, in late May, the territory told the CBC the work was being pushed back until October.
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In an update this week, the department said it’s still aiming for an October start to the work.
“A contract for material supply has been awarded to Bridon-Bekaert, the original company that supplied the cable system and the only company that can provide the identical cable,” the department told Cabin Radio by email.
“Once the contract was awarded, timelines were adjusted as needed for fabrication and shipping. Material fabrication started in April 2024 and we expect the materials to be on site in October 2024.
“A construction contract has been awarded to Surespan Construction Ltd. Construction will begin once the materials are on-site.”
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No public record of the value of the Bridon-Bekaert contract could be found. The Surespan contract is valued at $4 million.
The territory said earlier this year that none of the 23 other cables and adjustment bars showed any defects, but all 24 adjustment bars are being replaced as they came from the same fabrication batch.
In the meantime, the bridge will keep the current system of single-lane traffic past the broken cable, with traffic lights at either end.
When work does start, the GNWT said some operations – like movement of equipment around the bridge – “may require short-term closures.”
