Highways and Public Works Minister Archie Lang officially opened the new replacement for the Donjek River Bridge in western Yukon last Friday.

'The on-schedule completion of this project marks the success of our partnership with our American neighbours. It also reinforces our commitment to the safety of a major Yukon tourist and commercial highway route,' Lang said.

The two-year Donjek River Bridge replacement project is one of several initiatives funded under the Shakwak Agreement between the U.S. and Canada.

The nearly $35-million contract was awarded to CMF Construction, which began construction in February 2006.

The new bridge consists of eight spans and is 270 metres long, with extensive river embankments and causeway construction.

A major part of the work was to ensure the new bridge met seismic requirements of the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code. The design life of this bridge is 75 years.

'This project provided employment for many Yukoners and resulted in a new piece of infrastructure compliant with current safety standards,' Lang added.

Removal of the old bridge will be tendered over the winter.

The Donjek River is located between Burwash Landing and Beaver Creek at kilometre-1822 on the Alaska Highway, within White River and Kluane First Nations traditional territory.

Research suggests that the source of the English name Donjek originates from the Northern Tutchone name of the berry d‰n j‰k, which are white berries or silverberries commonly found in the area.

The original bridge was constructed by the Canadian military in 1952 and consists of eight steel through truss spans of 61 metres each on reinforced concrete piers and abutments; the total length is 488 metres.

CMF Construction subcontracted several Yukon contractors to play a major role in the project. These contractors included Golden Hill Ventures, TSL Construction, Aurora Construction, Klondike Welding, Nuway Crushing, Challenger Geomatics and EBA Engineering.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETA-LU) is the most recent transportation funding legislation passed by the United States Congress. The legislation includes $150 million US in revised Shakwak funding.

Further Shakwak initiatives underway include design and construction of the bridges for both the Duke and Slims Rivers.