Deh Cho Bridge
| Deh Cho Bridge | |
|---|---|
Deh Cho Bridge 2016
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| Coordinates | 61°15′45″N 117°31′30″W / 61.2625°N 117.525°WCoordinates: 61°15′45″N 117°31′30″W / 61.2625°N 117.525°W |
| Carries | 2 lanes of Highway 3 |
| Crosses | Mackenzie River |
| Locale | Fort Providence |
| Official name | Deh Cho Bridge |
| Owner | Government of the Northwest Territories |
| Characteristics | |
| Design |
Truss bridge Cable-stayed main span |
| Total length | 1.1 km (0.68 mi) |
| Longest span | 190 m (623 ft) |
| No. of spans | 9 |
| Piers in water | 8 |
| Design life | 75 years |
| History | |
| Construction start | June 2008 |
| Construction cost | C$202 million |
| Opened | November 30, 2012 |
 Deh Cho Bridge (Northwest Territories)
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The Deh Cho Bridge is a 1.1 km (0.68 mi) long Canadian bridge across a 1.6 km (0.99 mi) span of the Mackenzie River on the Yellowknife Highway (Highway 3) near Fort Providence, Northwest Territories. Construction began in 2008 and was expected to be completed in 2010 but faced delays due to technical and financial difficulties. The bridge officially opened to traffic on November 30, 2012. The bridge replaced the prior MV Merv Hardie ferry, the ferry in operation at the time of opening, and ice bridge combination used for river crossing.
Deh Cho is the Dene name for the Mackenzie River.
NWT Highway 3 (or the Yellowknife Highway) must cross over a kilometre of open water on the Mackenzie River south of Fort Providence. Since the highway opened in 1960 through November 2012, a seasonal ferry service was provided (roughly mid-May until December or January), with an ice road maintained across the frozen river from December to April. During the spring breakup season, due to hazards from floating or jammed ice there was a 3-4 week period (from mid-April to mid-May) between the closing of the ice road and the start of ferry service. No vehicles could cross during this period, and supplies for Yellowknife and other highway communities north of the river had to be relayed across by helicopter, sent by air freight, or wait until ferry operations begin. A similar but shorter freeze-up period used to occur in December/January between the end of ferry operations and the opening of the ice road, but since the early 1980s ferry operations had generally been able to extend until the ice road was open.
The closing of the crossing created added transportation inconveniences and costs for residents north of the river, especially for perishable items such as food. A bridge had been of interest since the highway was opened, but various proposals for a bridge had difficulty establishing financial feasibility given the limited traffic volumes and the estimated construction and maintenance costs involved.
In 2000, the Fort Providence Combined Council Alliance (composed of the area's Dene, Metis and Fort Providence leaders) began considering whether to put together a bridge proposal. They obtained seed money from the territorial and federal governments, and by the end of 2001 had preliminary design and financing concepts. In 2002 a Memorandum of Intent was drafted between the Alliance and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). The Deh Cho Bridge Corporation (DCBC) was incorporated, and presented a proposal to the Government of the NWT to finance and build the bridge as a public–private partnership. The DCBC would arrange financing, construction and operation of the bridge, which would be leased back to the GNWT for a period of 35 years, in return for annual payments and the proceeds of a toll on commercial vehicle traffic crossing the bridge. After the lease period, ownership of the bridge would revert to the GNWT.
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