Mackenzie Valley Highway now includes bridges to Fort Simpson, Wrigley

The latest Mackenzie Valley Highway proposal includes new bridges connecting Fort Simpson and Wrigley, the NWT government confirmed after they appeared in federal documents.

The bridges were referenced in a Canada Gazette notice published on Friday, August 28 that moved the highway one step closer to being fast-tracked as a project of national interest.

The GNWT told Cabin Radio it is planning feasibility and conceptual design studies for the Liard and Mackenzie River crossings, but detailed bridge designs have not been finalized.

To cross the Liard River into Fort Simpson or Mackenzie River en route to Wrigley currently requires a ferry in summer or ice road in winter. During fall freeze and spring break-up there are periods with no road connection.

Bridges would eliminate those interruptions and improve reliability of access for residents, businesses, community resupply and emergency travel, said territorial Department of Infrastructure spokesperson Amy Kennedy.

However, she cautioned that the bridges’ inclusion did not equate to “a final federal and territorial commitment to construct all three bridges” adding that “construction remains subject to further planning, approvals, funding and future decisions.”

Fort Simpson Mayor Les Wright was surprised to see the Canada Gazette reference bridges as part of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. 

“I never thought it’d happen in my lifetime,” he told Cabin Radio.

“When the GNWT came through a couple months ago, bridges weren’t mentioned.”

Pedzéh Kı̨ First Nation Chief Jamie Moses, on the other hand, had been expecting bridges to become part of the highway proposal ever since the military and Canadian sovereignty entered the conversation.

“We did catch wind of it early on, around springtime,” Chief Moses said, noting the military made it clear they did not want to wait for ferries.

“They can’t be waiting for a ferry three months out of the year, so they said right away, we need to see designs. That’s when we sort of knew right away that ferries were not an option, but it was not really public,” Moses said.

He said questions about design – not budget – are at the forefront of these conversations, which makes sense to him given “what’s at stake in the North” with respect to Canadian sovereignty.

Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation Chief Kele Antoine said there’s a clear need for bridges not just for ease of travel but also for emergency situations like the wildfire that forced Fort Simpson to evacuate for nearly three weeks earlier in the summer.

“It’s been shown and proven now that the ferry system could prolong an evacuation,” Antoine said.

“We’re happy to see there could be a bridge in our near future that could mitigate some of these concerns, but also hopefully lower some food costs for our people.”

He had high praise for the ferry crew and their work evacuating people from Fort Simpson, but said “if the circumstances were different and we had all these people just waiting on the highway for a ferry that could take maybe eight to 10 vehicles at a time, then that could have been very dangerous.”

Because of this, Antoine is “very appreciative and thankful” to hear the news of the proposed bridges.

Wright noted there are “good and bad things” about making the switch.

“We’ve got 16 people working on this ferry alone that would be out of a job, which would reduce the amount of money coming into this town,” he said, adding the N’Dulee ferry crossing between Fort Simpson and Wrigley at the Mackenzie River is a similarly important contract for Wrigley.

With military dollars expected to back the project, though, he thinks both the road and bridges could happen.

Claire McFarlane contributed reporting