Ferry service over the Pelly River this summer could be affected by the government’s decision not to take down the Ross River suspension bridge.
The community had rallied to save the bridge, which had been slated for demolition this winter.
The bridge is at risk of imminent collapse, according to an engineering report ordered by the government in September,
The government has promised to instead stabilize the structure so it no longer poses a threat to safety and options can be considered. But the request for proposals for that work has yet to be posted, with time running out to make use of the river ice as a platform for construction.
“Can the minister of highways and public works confirm that the Ross River ferry service will resume on schedule this spring?” NDP Public Works critic Lois Moorcroft asked in the legislature Tuesday.
“I am not going to commit to anything,” responded Public Works Minister Wade Istchenko.
His department is working with Community Services and Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board to figure out what might be possible, he said.
“We might not be in a full operational schedule; we might be running at different times. We have to see what Occupational Health and Safety says first while working with them because safety is of the utmost importance.”
Community Services Minister Brad Cathers reminded the legislature that one of the reasons the government had moved to take down the bridge was to ensure the ferry could operate normally.
The NDP had advocated strongly against taking down the bridge.