Deh Cho bridge to close Thursday for work crews

The Deh Cho Bridge has been open for almost a year but work on the project has not finished yet. The bridge will shut down Thursday night so crews can finish installing a Texas gate to keep bison off it.

The Texas gate, also known as acattle guard, is designed to keep bison off the bridge. Temporary gates across one lane of traffic will be replaced by a texas gate across both lanes. It's basically a shallow pit with round rails running across itthat are far enough apart that the animals don't feel comfortable putting their hooves on them.

This month crews will also start building higher guardrails on the bridge. Right now they're about 1metre high,which is lower than what's required for pedestrians.

Depending on weather, crews may not finish the railings until next spring.

Crews are also installing lights this month. They'll be bright enough for boats and planes to see the bridge but not glaring for drivers who are coming off a dark highway. The Department of Transportationsays all the work is covered by existing contracts and doesn't increase the cost of the bridge.

The bridge will shut down as of 10 p.m. Thursday night and re-open by 5 a.m. on Friday morning.