No money set aside to replace aging bridges on Yukon's North Canol, says gov't

Weight restrictions on some bridges on Yukon's North Canol road are creating problems for companies doing work at the Yukon-Northwest Territories border.

The road connects the community of Ross River, Yukon, to the N.W.T./Yukon border at MacMillan pass. 

John Etzel, the CEO of Dena Nezziddi Corporation, the economic development arm of the Ross River Dena Council, says that several bridges on the road have weight restrictions of 5,000 kilograms, meaning that several transport trucks are unable to get through.

Etzel says the First Nations' fuel company has contracts to deliver fuel up to MacMillan Pass, but can't get its transport truck across bridges on the road, due to weight restrictions.
    
"That's going to pose a problem," he said. "With a B-train going up with possibly 300 drums of fuel that has to be unloaded and ferried across the bridge and re-loaded. It's going to be a huge cost to the people that are buying this fuel." 

Etzel says the weight restrictions also present problems for companies such as Fireweed Zinc and New Age Drilling, which need to get drills and other equipment up to Fireweed Zinc's property at MacMillan Pass, on the border.

No construction set for this year

Paul Murchison, the director of Yukon's transportation engineering branch, says that the weight restrictions were imposed as the bridges near the end of their life cycle, but no money has been earmarked for replacements in this year's budget.

Last year, said Murchison, three bridges were upgraded, and four bridges were replaced.

"The budget we have this year is just limited to spot repairs on the North Canol," he said. "There is no actual bridge construction or rehabiliation work scheduled this year. That's work that will happen in future years."

Murchison admitted the weight restrictions present a problem for users who want to get heavy loads across, but says that his hands are tied due to budget restrictions.

"We'll continue doing what we do right now, and that is implementing a weight restriction on the corridor... and then we continue to plan for upgrades and replacements of the existing bridges.

"It's unfortunate, but that's the situation that we're in." 
    
Murchison did say engineers will conduct additional inspections next week to see if there are any options to change current weight restrictions. He said some of the other bridges might be able to be reinforced by adding extra steel or structural components in critical areas. 

However, he said one particular bridge, located at Caribou Creek, is beyond a quick fix and needs to be replaced.

The government has allocated about $100,000 this year for maintenance and spot repairs on the road, he said.

Opposition party says work must be done now

The Yukon Party's MLA for Pelly-Nisutlin, Stacey Hassard, said that waiting until next year is not a viable option for the companies that need to get to mining properties. 

"Summer is here," he said. "Our days our very limited for exploration in the Yukon.

"We have citizens in Ross River that need this work, we have the business arm of the Ross River Dena Council — how are they supposed to survive if they can't do business?"

Hassard raised the issue in the legislature Thursday in the legislature, asking Richard Mostyn, the territory's minister of highways, what he would do to resolve the situation.

Mostyn said he was aware of the issue, adding that "I flagged it with [my officials]. 

"I've been assured even this week about this issue," he said. "The officials are doing their due diligence on those bridges and as soon as I have an answer, I'll make the information known to both the companies and the leader of the official opposition."