Ontario Construction News staff writer
Construction has begun on a new permanent bridge across the Berens River that will provide year-round access to Pikangikum First Nation and improve winter road connections for six other remote First Nations in Northwestern Ontario.
The Ontario government, in partnership with the Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority, Pikangikum First Nation and the Government of Canada, announced the start of construction on the project, which will eliminate the need for a winter road river crossing and lengthy ice crossing currently required to access the community.
The new engineered mass-timber bridge will be built by primary contractor M.D. Steele. Pre-construction work is underway, including mobilization to the site, securing subcontractors and completing shop drawings. Aggregate blasting is beginning to produce materials needed to prepare the bridge site.
Additional onsite work, including construction of a temporary bridge, is expected to continue through spring 2026. The final permanent bridge is slated for completion in 2028.
“Working in partnership with the federal government and the Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority, our government is investing in critical infrastructure to build a better transportation network that will improve safety and unlock economic opportunities for communities in the North,” said George Pirie, Ontario’s Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth. “Breaking ground on this bridge marks an important step toward delivering reliable access for remote communities, creating good-paying jobs and building a stronger, more resilient North.”
Richard Wilson, president of M.D. Steele, said delivering a project of this scale in a remote environment requires “creativity, partnership and commitment.”
“This bridge is a unique engineering achievement, but its true value lies in what it enables — connecting Pikangikum, Deer Lake, Keewaywin, McDowell Lake, North Spirit Lake, Poplar Hill and Sandy Lake First Nations to dependable ground access,” Wilson said. “As the first phase of a larger vision, this project helps lay the foundation for long-term connectivity, opportunity and shared progress.”
Once complete, the bridge will be the first in Canada to integrate mass timber structural components into major transportation infrastructure, serving as a key connection point to Ontario’s remote northwest region. The project is also expected to create opportunities for harvesting wood in the Whitefeather Forest.
In addition to providing year-round access to Pikangikum, the bridge will improve winter road connections for Poplar Hill First Nation, McDowell Lake First Nation, Deer Lake First Nation, North Spirit Lake First Nation, Sandy Lake First Nation and Keewaywin First Nation, eliminating the ice crossing currently required to access Pikangikum and the broader winter roads network.
The bridge and associated roadworks are identified in the approved Forest Management Plan for Whitefeather Forest and are being developed in alignment with Keeping the Land, Pikangikum First Nation’s community-based land-use plan.
Provincial officials say the project is part of broader efforts to strengthen northern transportation infrastructure, improve access to essential services and support economic development in remote and Indigenous communities.