The newly constructed longer, wider Kakisa River Bridge is now open to traffic. Restrictions on the speed of commercial traffic that were required on the old Kakisa bridge have now been lifted.The new Kakisa River Bridge was jointly funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) for a total cost of $18 million. The federal contribution comes from the Government of Canadas Provincial-Territorial Base Fund.

Our Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, recognizes that investments in infrastructure will create jobs, stimulate our economy and improve social standards, said John Baird, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure. The new Kakisa River Bridge will improve safety standards while connecting local residents to commercial links. Todays opening symbolizes the achievements that can be made when governments work together with communities.

The bridge is an essential link on the primary road access between Alberta and the Deh Cho, North Slave, and Sahtu communities. The project supports the GNWT Department of Transportations mission to provide safe, secure, accessible, and reliable public transportation infrastructure in the Northwest Territories.

GNWT Minister of Transportation Michael McLeod was joined by community representatives and members of the team responsible for construction of the bridge in todays opening ceremonies. He says the new bridge is a Northwest Territories success story.

Through our funding partnership with the Government of Canada, we were able to move forward on the replacement of a structure that had reached the end of its projected life span, he said. Everyone involved, including our experienced and dedicated Department of Transportation staff, can be proud of their role in ensuring this critical infrastructure link will serve NWT residents for decades to come.

Associated Engineering provided design and engineering services for the new bridge, while Atcon Construction undertook the building of the bridge structure and approaches. NWT companies such as Rowes Construction, Stan Dean & Sons, and Sub-Arctic Surveys acted as sub-contractors to Atcon on the project. EBA Engineering provided quality control for bridge contractors.

The old Kakisa Bridge will be dismantled and its parts recycled.