North

Repairs to N.W.T.'s Deh Cho Bridge begin next week

On Thursday, the Infrastructure department said a broken cable would be replaced on Nov. 14 and 15. The bridge is set to fully close between midnight and 3 a.m. on Nov. 14, and may close for the same period of time the next night as well.

Overnight closure expected next week as workers replace broken cable

A long bridge across a river is seen from afar.
The Deh Cho Bridge spans the Mackenzie River just south of Fort Providence, N.W.T. Repairs will begin this month on a broken cable on the bridge. (Travis Burke / CBC)

The Deh Cho Bridge on Highway 3 will close for repairs the morning of Nov. 14, the N.W.T.'s Infrastructure department announced Thursday afternoon.

The bridge, which connects communities north of the Mackenzie River — including Yellowknife — to the south, has been down to one lane of traffic for more than a year, after a cable broke in the summer of 2023.

Last month, the territory said it would finally fix the bridge by the end of the year, at a cost of $7 million.

On Thursday, the Infrastructure department said the cable would be replaced on Nov. 14 and 15. The bridge is set to fully close between midnight and 3 a.m. on Nov. 14, and may close for the same period of time the next night as well.

Emergency vehicles will still be allowed through during the closure.

After the cable replacement, the bridge won't open fully until January due to other construction work tied to the cable fix.