Repairs to historic Ross River, Yukon, footbridge have begun

The first phase of the restoration of a historic suspensionfootbridge in Ross River, Yukon,is complete and supporters of the project are happy with the work.

Ross River residents report the new towers are in place and the old towers have been disconnected from the support cables, completing phase one of the project.

"The towers...are beautiful actually," says Kitty Sperling.

"They match the same rust colour as the 70-year-old towers that were in existence."

The bridge was built by the American military as part of the Second World War Canol project to pipe oil from Norman Wells, N.W.T. to a refinery in Whitehorse.

The bridge was at risk of collapsing and slated for demolition last year, but a social media campaign organized bythe community convinced the territorial government to stabilizeand restore it.

The second phase of the restoration calls for newbridge decking and fixing the sway cable that holds the bridge in place. It's not clear when that work will begin.