The Merv Hardie ferry across the Mackenzie River could remain closed until the end of the week after low water levels forced a “sudden” suspension of the service on the afternoon of Nov. 17.
Department of Transportation spokesperson Earl Blacklock said water levels had made a fairly good recovery over the weekend, after reaching a low of 149.285 metres above sea level on Sunday evening. A minimum reading of 149.8 metres is required for the ferry to operate with restrictions. Normal operations will resume when the reading increases above 150 metres.

“It’s all a function of temperature. For some reason Fort Providence is a lot colder right now than Yellowknife is, which is apparently having an effect,” Blacklock said Monday, explaining water levels near Fort Providence made a “fairly good” recovery Monday morning before pausing. “We’re hopeful we’ll see a resumption of service by the end of the week.”
Hay River Airport manager Kelly O’Connor said the shutdown has led to increased traffic at the airport.
“I’d say there have been 30 or more freighters since the ferry went down,” O’Connor explained, saying he expects the increased traffic to continue until the ferry is back in service.
“That would be my guess. There’s no other option to get the stuff across right now.”
Buffalo Airways’ Mikey McBryan said the company sent two DC-3 passenger flights to Hay River on Friday evening to deal with the increased demand. The company’s fleet of DC-3s, DC-4s and C-46s have also been making frequent trips to Hay River to pick up freight since the ferry shut down.
“It’s insane,” McBryan said Monday afternoon. “It’s the busiest I have seen in a long while.”
Also on Monday, officials with the Government of the Northwest Territories issued a release asking residents in the communities of Fort Providence, Behchoko and Yellowknife not to stockpile fuel, as this would lead to an “artificial” shortage. The GNWT is working with fuel suppliers across the north to ensure there is “sufficient” supplies while the ferry is shutdown, the release stated.
While the drop in water levels is severe, Blacklock said it pales in comparison to what happened in 1988. That year water levels dropped so severely that the ferry was shut down for four weeks.
“This in comparison is not as severe, but we really can’t say for sure how long it will be,” he said.
If service resumes on Friday as anticipated, Blacklock cautioned motorists to wait until at least next week before using the service. Due to the “sudden” nature of the shutdown, priority will be given to vehicles bringing in essential supplies, including fuel and food, for the first few days.
“It’s best to avoid those first two days,” Blacklock said.
Updated information will be available on the department’s website, www.dot.gov.nt.ca.

The first phase of construction on the Deh Cho Bridge is now complete, and a new contractor is in place to handle the second, and final, phase, the Government of the Northwest Territories announced March 3.
Kevin McLeod, the director of highways and marine services with the Department of Transportation, said he is confident the new team “will take the Deh Cho Bridge project from (its) current status to full completion in November 2011.”

British Columbia-based Ruskin Construction was introduced as the new general contractor for the project during a technical briefing in Yellowknife. The Department of Transportation will assume responsibility for the management of the project from the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation, and has hired Associated Engineering to handle project control and management. Other members of the new Deh Cho Bridge management team are Levelton Consultants, who will handle the project’s quality assurance; Infinity Engineering, who will act as the engineer of record; Vancouver-based Buckland and Taylor, who are tasked as the project’s erection engineers; Rapid Span, who will supply the bridge’s concrete deck; Quebec-based Structal, who will manufacture the bridge’s steel trusses; and BPTEC-DNW and TYLin International, who will remain as the GNWT’s territorial advisors.
Most of the project’s challenging in-river work is now complete, McLeod explained. The four southern piers were completed in late 2008 and McLeod said he received word Wednesday that the final piece of the four northern piers was officially installed. The temporary work bridge will be removed by the end of the month, with construction on the north abutment and work trestle set to begin in May.
On Monday, the GNWT announced that the legislative assembly will be reconvened March 23 to discuss assuming the assets of the Deh Cho Bridge project, as well as the $165 million debt of the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation.
In a release Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger said that decision will not change the fiscal situation of the NWT or the ability of the GNWT to pay for programs and services.
“The GNWT is already committed to the payments needed to service this debt,” he said. “With over $300 million in unused borrowing room as of April 1, 2010, taking on the $165 million debt associated with the project would not immediately cause the GNWT to exceed its borrowing limit – and the Government is pursuing options to avoid that possibility, including talking to the federal government.”
Miltenberger was unavailable for further comment as of Monday.
Construction on the bridge over the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence began in June 2008. The original design, completed in 2002 by Calgary’s JR Spronken and Associates, did not meet Bridge Code which necessitated a redesign.
“The testing did show there were some issues that needed to be changed,” McLeod stated.
DCBC then hired Infinity Engineering to handle the redesign. Atcon’s bid for phase two “was out of reach,” McLeod explained, and the two sides parted ways earlier this year. DCBC then presented options for the next step to the GNWT, and recommended a negotiated contract with a contractor who was already on site and had knowledge of the project.
“It’s always the case for the GNWT to get best value for public funds,” McLeod said, explaining that the budget for work in phase two – including the fabrication of the deck panels and trusses – is $68.1 million. McLeod also defended the GNWT’s decision to sole-source the contract for phase two, rather than tender it out.
“All (parties) agreed that was the best way. In fact, we made some savings from having a team that was already on site that didn’t have to deploy,” said McLeod. “With all those variables and all those options it made the best sense, from a public point of view, that was the way to go.”
Last month, members of the legislative assembly approved $15 million in additional funding to cover the cost of the redesign, which brought the bridge’s total budget to $181. 4 million.
Andrew Purdy, president of Ruskin Construction, said the balance of the fabrication work will be done off site. The trusses and deck panels will then be transported to the site by train and truck. He said he is confident of the bridge’s final design.
“The design has gone through a very, very rigorous review by some competent and capable people across North America – some of the top-name engineering firms that range from Florida to San Francisco to Vancouver,” Purdy said. “We will not start construction on any phase of the work until our quality control requirements have been met. We have checks in place all the way along.”
Having Associated Engineering in charge of quality control will bring a new level of transparency to the project, McLeod said.
“There will be complete visibility on all aspects of the project,” he said. “We need to know exactly where we are in relation to the end and where we are in relation to budget.”
The future role of the DCBC is currently under review, McLeod admitted, though he said the situation should be clearer within the next three to four weeks.
“We’ve asked them what they want to do, and they’ve asked us, ‘Well, what do you think we should do?’ And we’ve had those kind of discussions,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s what they want. They still have equity. It’s still on their land, it’s still in their backyard. It’s still a mega-project they have influence in.”

The Merv Hardie Ferry was retired for the season after being struck by a piece of ice on Thursday.

Earl Blacklock from the Department of Transportation said the ferry did not hit the ice; rather, the ice that had floated into the channel hit the ferry. The rudder suffered damage from the blow, rendering the ferry unable to sail at approximately 6 p.m. on Thursday.
This provides a dilemma for heavier travelers, as the ice road crossing the Mackenzie River is strong enough to hold only 4,500 kg – the weight of a SUV or a loaded van. Commercial vehicles will be unable to cross until the ice thickens.
Blacklock said the Department of Transportation could have called in a maintenance crew; however, the procedure would have been risky in icy conditions. He said often quick fixes in the winter involve a lot of overtime hours, ice-covered machinery and slickways, and a shortage of parts.
“We’re evaluating the damage, and we’re evaluating the ice crossings,” said Blacklock. “It will be only a matter of days either way.”
Blacklock said to bring in an emergency maintenance crew to fix the ferry would cost taxpayers, when the weather necessary to strengthen the ice road is just around the corner.
“We’re asking the weather gods for some -25 degree weather,” said Blacklock, despite the recent warm spell.
“It was an unavoidable event – one that is all too common when you’re operating ferry service in January.”