Surespan Construction Ltd. – a North Vancouver company with offices in Prince George – was awarded a $7.85 million contract to repair the Bell Irving River Bridge No. 1 on Highway 37.
The bridge is located 30 kilometres north of Meziadin Junction and connects communities like Dease Lake and Iskut to Highway 16, as well as providing a connection between B.C. and the Yukon and Alaska.
"The Bell Irving River Bridge provides an essential link for the people in the region by connecting communities in northwestern B.C.," Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "This infrastructure investment will also ensure certainty for the industries that use the Highway 37 corridor, including forestry, mining and ecotourism industries that are vital to the economic prosperity of the region."
The two-lane bridge was built in 1967 and spans 111 metres across the Bell Irving River. Surespan Construction is expected to start work this summer and have the project complete by the end of the year. The project will see the steel bridge deck and structural steel span components replaced.
"The remediation of this bridge is important to the communities along the Highway 37 corridor," said Dave Brocklebank, who represents the area on the board of the Regional District Kitimat-Stikine "It's especially important for the remote Indigenous communities in the region that rely on the highway and bridge to get to work, attend school and government business, receive medical services and travel."
