Bridge on the River Grinnell

KIRSTEN MURPHY

Construction of a long-awaited pedestrian footbridge across the Sylvia Grinnell river is underway.

Canadian armed forces officers with the construction engineering unit spent two weeks paddling supplies across the near-frozen river within the Sylvia Grinnell Park from Oct. 15 to 30.

Iqalungmiut should be walking across the suspended 96-meter bridge in September 2003.

The iced-up water and “other commitments” forced workers to pack up prior to their scheduled Nov. 5 departure date. Capt. Mike McLay says he and his crew will return in the spring.

McLay said the construction engineering unit has a 60-year history in the North, and is celebrating its 60th anniversary in conjunction with the building of the Trans-Canada Trails in Nunavut.

The Department of National Defence, the Trans-Canada Trails foundation, and the Iqaluit Rotary Club are running the $800,000 project. The Rotary club raised the $25,000 to build the bridge’s foundations.

Building on the past

Iqaluit’s first suspension bridge is based on similar structures in Nepal, McLay said.

Near-impenetrable rock and frozen ground delayed much of the drilling. Getting across the river before it froze posed problems.

However, a 12-foot aluminum boat was used to transport a generator and drilling supplies across one of the narrowest parts of the river. The generator was used to boil water for mixing cement. In the end, one of two concrete foundation pads and steel support rods were embedded in the ground.

“It went well. But I have to say it’s easier ordering parts in Bosnia than here,” said McLay.

Such parts included carbide-grinding stones for sharpening tools.

“I guess Germany is a lot closer to Bosnia than [Ottawa or Montreal] is to Iqaluit,” he said.

Making progress

Getting this far has not been without hurdles. In 1997, the government of the Northwest Territories introduced a long-term plan for the Sylvia Grinnell Park. The plan provided for a footbridge across the river.

“The purpose of the bridge is to give the community and tourists access to the other side of the river,” Heather Gosselin, parks and planning coordinator for the department of Sustainable Development, told Nunatsiaq News earlier this year.

One such attraction is Qaummaarviit Park. The site was a Thule settlement and contains skulls, sod-house remnants other artifacts.

In May, city councillor Lynda Gunn voted against a building permit for the bridge.

“I’m fearful of the potential destruction of such a valuable site,” Gunn said.

But community consultations revealed Iqaluit residents wanted the bridge, and the permit was passed in a 3-2 vote.

The footbridge is part of a master plan to build a walking path between Iqaluit and Kimmirut.

The bridge will be open to people and dogs, but snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles will be not be permitted to cross.