Feds and N.W.T. government announce $50M for long-awaited Frank Channel Bridge replacement

An aging61-year-old bridge in the Northwest Territorieswill bereplaced with $37.5M announced from the federal government on Friday, coupled with $12.5M from the territory.

N.W.T. MP Michael McLeod made theannouncementon behalf of Omar Alghabra, the federal minister of transport, and wasjoined by Diane Archie, the N.W.T.'s deputy premier andminister of infrastructure.

The N.W.T.'s Frank Channel Bridge on Highway 3has been in need ofreplacementsoit canmeet "current and projected traffic loads," according to the territory's website, and planning for a new bridge is underway. In 2018, the territory announcedinitial plans to replace it.

"Transportation and distribution of goods are essential for our northern communities," McLeod said.

"This project will ensure the safe and reliable transportation of goods and provide community members with more flexible access to important resources."

The new bridge is promised to havea larger carrying capacity and McLeod said it should help with resilience against climate change, as well as employment and distribution of goods.

Construction is expectedto begin in 2022 and it should be complete by 2024.The government will still have to put the projectout tovendors.

Traffic isn't expected to be affected during construction, Archie said,as people will use the old bridge while the new one is being worked on.

The structure was built in 1960 and is the only roadway connecting theBehchok communitiesof Rae and Edzo, as well as part of Highway 3, which connects Yellowknife to southern Canada. The bridge hasundergone a series of repairs over the years.

In the past, residents have raised safety concerns around the bridge, pointing out issues like tarnished bolts and beams, andthe bridge's rusted sidewalk.McLeod has also previouslysaid the trucking industry struggles with the bridge's height and width restrictions.