DAWSON CITY Smiles and sighs of relief greeted Wednesday's announcement that a bridge across the Yukon River at Dawson City is a go.

Klondike MLA Peter Jenkins and Jim Kenyon, the acting Minister of Highways and Public Works, made the announcement at a Dawson City Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

The room echoed with scattered applause as the news was broken by the ministers. While there is opposition to a bridge from residents of both sides of the river, none of those people attended the luncheon.

The $25-million capital project will be designed over the next year and be in place by 2007, Kenyon said.

The two-lane bridge with a sidewalk will span 365 metres and replace the service currently offered by the aging George Black ferry in the summers and an ice bridge in the winters.

Chamber chair Martin Gehrig likened the feeling from the announcement to winning an Oscar after 25 years of being unsuccessfully nominated.

Presiding over a much larger crowd than usually attends a monthly chamber meeting, Gehrig invited the cabinet to make an announcement every month and bring out the people.

'I'd like to thank Peter for his persistence and dedication in working towards this brief for quite a few years,' said Jon Magnusson, the chamber's vice-chair.

'I thank the government for looking toward the future of Dawson. This is going to help in all areas, I'm sure.'

Others at the meeting said they looked forward to the day when hydro power, telephone service and high-speed Internet might be carried across the river over the bridge along with traffic.

Elizabeth Connellan, of Service Canada, lives most of the year in West Dawson, except when she can't get there. She was philosophical about the announcement.

This decision today means that my five-year-old son and I will have the option of living at our own home 12 months out of the year,' Connellan said.

'As much as I know that the bridge coming is going to forever change life across river, I thank you for this. I'm glad to see it.'