Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to provide Members and the public with an update on the Deh Cho Bridge Project. I want to say that I am very much looking forward to the day that the bridge opens to traffic in a year and a half.
Mr. Speaker, in just 18 months we will be able to drive across the Mackenzie River 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. No longer will the residents of the North Slave be cut off during spring breakup. No longer will commercial vehicles sit and idle, waiting for passage on the ferry. No longer will low water and ice in the river disrupt service. No longer will businesses have to warehouse large volumes of goods. No longer will the Merv Hardie burn half a million litres of diesel and release tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. No longer will we have to concern ourselves with future impacts of climate change on the ice bridge. All the anxieties and frustrations that we associate with the current operation will finally be a thing of the past.
Mr. Speaker, we are about to enter a critical stage in the construction of the bridge. We have set an ambitious but achievable schedule that will require the cooperation of everyone involved in the project. To meet the schedule, we have assembled a team of skilled professionals under the direction of the Department of Transportation. This team is committed to completing the bridge by November 2011.
Work has commenced this spring and by next March the bridge will have taken shape. Steel fabrication is underway. The contractor, Ruskin Construction, will spend the summer completing the earthworks approaches and installing the two concrete abutments. This will be followed by the launching of the steel trusses or girders in September. Steel members will be bolted together on both banks and pushed out inch by inch over the river to span the piers. Once the trusses are in place, Ruskin will erect the two towers and string the massive cables that will support the centre span. The centre span will be hoisted into place from the work bridges below using huge winches. Then it will be a matter of completing the bridge deck, the approaches and other minor works.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has taken over the project but the community of Fort Providence still remains committed and involved with the project. We are entering into a new relationship with our community partners: the Deh Gah Got’ie First Nation, the Fort Providence Metis Council, and the Hamlet of Fort Providence. I am looking forward to attending the community feast in Fort Providence to celebrate the signing of the new agreements that will replace the concession agreement.
Mr. Speaker, I am certain that in the future the news surrounding the bridge will be more favourable, particularly as we approach the completion of construction. The Department of Transportation is developing a communication plan under the banner of “Bridging Our Future” that will include new signage, a newsletter, a stand-alone website and a real-time video feed. Our intent is to highlight all the positive accomplishments associated with the bridge.
Mr. Speaker, the Deh Cho Bridge, by virtue of its innovative design, its remote location and its sheer size, will be a unique structure that we can all be proud of. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
