‘History in the making.’ Frank Channel bridge construction starts

More than 60 years since the Dehk’è Frank Channel Bridge first opened, construction has begun on its replacement.

Leaders, staff and workers gathered in Behchokǫ̀ on Friday for a groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the start of work to replace the bridge on Highway 3.

“It is history in the making,” said Tłı̨chǫ Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty.

“The Tłı̨chǫ have long voiced concern about this bridge, the deterioration, and advocated for a replacement.”

The key bridge connects the communities of Yellowknife, Rae and Dehk’è Frank Channel – as well as the ice roads to the territory’s diamond mines – to the NWT’s highway system and southern Canada.

Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong said the Dehk’è Frank Channel bridge is one of the busiest in the NWT and a gateway to Yellowknife. She said many people travel on the bridge daily to attend school or get to work.

“Frank Channel Bridge is important to us because it’s been part of our lives,” she said.

The current Dehk’è Frank Channel Bridge opened in 1960 and is now nearing the end of its life.

Chief Lafferty noted that late Elder Phillip Dryneck was among those who helped construct the bridge.

Frank Channel was named after the late Frank Camsell, who was born in Fort Simpson, worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company and drowned in 1923 after his dog sled fell through the ice. The channel is known as Dehk’è in Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì.

The territorial government has been planning to replace the bridge across the channel since at least 2018.

The NWT and federal governments initially announced a combined $50 million to build a new bridge in 2021 and said construction was expected to begin in 2022.

In 2023, the governments pledged an additional $20 million to the project, citing “inflation and market escalations.”

The NWT government recently awarded a $120.7-million construction contract for the project to the Tłı̨chǫ-Kiewit General Partnership. The federal government is contributing $52.5 million to the project from the National Trade Corridors Fund.

Territorial officials have said the new Dehk’è Frank Channel Bridge will improve safety, support growing traffic needs, and remove restrictions on large and heavy loads travelling north.

The new bridge will also strengthen opportunities for mineral exploration and mining, the territory said, and advance the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, which proposes connecting Yellowknife to a port on the Arctic coast.

The new 200-metre bridge is designed to have two lanes with a separated pedestrian sidewalk on the north side and a height barrier on both sides of the bridge.

The territory plans to build the new bridge immediately north of the existing one. Construction will require the temporary installation of causeways and ice bridges.

Early construction activities that have started on the project include equipment mobilization, construction pad preparation and the setup of a work camp.

The new bridge is expected to open to traffic in the fall of 2027, with removal of the existing bridge completed by fall 2028.

The Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board awarded a water licence and land use permit for the bridge project in August.

The board determined the project is not likely to have a significant impact on air, water or renewable resources and will not be a cause of public concern.

During engagement sessions on the project earlier this year, residents in Behchokǫ̀ generally expressed support for plans to construct the new bridge.

They voiced concerns, however, about navigating traffic during construction as community members actively fish in the channel. Residents also strongly opposed the bridge project affecting a vacant cabin, known as “old man’s cabin,” formerly owned by the late William Tinqui.

On Friday, territorial officials said the new bridge has been designed not to disturb the cabin, while a traffic management plan is in place to address impacts on traffic from construction.

In granting the water licence, the land and water board recommended that the project engage with the Tłı̨chǫ Government on recommendations to amplify culture and history by adding signage and plaques.

The Tłı̨chǫ Government also recommended the creation of a recreational area and boat launch at the bridge, as well as a parking lot or rest area to serve as a lookout.

Another recommendation called for new or improved access roads to homes and cabins in the area.