Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Deh Cho Bridge is a major piece of public infrastructure that will serve the people of the Northwest Territories for years to come. This government intends to finish the bridge and have it open to traffic this year. I rise today to update Members and the public on steps the Department of Transportation and Ruskin Construction are taking to ensure our commitment becomes a reality.
Ruskin Construction has made considerable progress in the last six months. They have erected the two pylons, strung all the supporting cables and installed a third of the deck panels. Weather-sensitive work has recently begun, including grouting of the deck panels, installation of the formwork for constructing curbs, and construction on the abutments. Work has continued safely and I am pleased with the quality of the work being undertaken. Even with this progress, though, it has become clear that we will need to do more to get the bridge opened this fall.
Mr. Speaker, an independent engineering assessment has concluded that with additional resources, the bridge can be completed this year. To this end, the department and Ruskin Construction have recently come to an agreement-in-principle that will help us meet this shared goal. The agreement identifies key milestones in the schedule and provides additional resources to meet our timelines. The agreement also sets out how
additional costs will be shared by the two parties, with the GNWT’s share capped at just under $10 million. The agreement also resolves all outstanding claims between Ruskin and the GNWT, which greatly reduces future financial uncertainty on the project.
Major infrastructure projects are always challenging and the department and Ruskin will have to work hard to manage the project schedule risks that still remain. Decisive action is necessary to help achieve our goal of opening the bridge to traffic this fall. We have put an arrangement in place that will provide the resources to meet this objective. I am confident that both parties are committed to the successful completion of this project and am sure that we will be able to meet the challenge together. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
