The Deh Cho Bridge provides a year-round connection for northern residents with the rest of Canada, and will help create economic development opportunities in the North. For decades, the majority of residents in the Northwest Territories had no fixed link to the rest of the country. Travellers and goods had to cross the Mackenzie, Canada’s longest river, via a limited-operation ferry.
In 2010, the Government of the Northwest Territories assumed control of the project mid-construction, and appointed Associated Engineering as Project Manager. Working together, we implemented a specific project management plan, addressing project challenges, including a geographically dispersed team, a remote site, extreme weather conditions, and quality management.
Effective planning and communication between all stakeholders was a critical factor in managing the project’s progress and facilitated the project’s ultimate success. In addition to collaborative project meetings and a highly-effective project document control system, our team worked closely with the client to develop unique approaches to control schedule, budget, quality, and risk. The community was kept fully informed via quarterly newsletters, information boards, a project website, a live webcam, and consistent contact with the media, thus providing a clear understanding of the construction progress and eventual grand opening.