The grand opening of the Rotary Centennial Bridge, which will connect both sides of the Millennium Trail over the Yukon River ,has been delayed yet again.

On Wednesday, the city announced that 'due to unforeseen delays, the Rotary Centennial Bridge will not be completed by July 7.'

'I'm somewhat disappointed,' Doug Hnatiuk, the city's facilities and parks branch manager, said in an interview this morning.

Hnatiuk is also the president of the Whitehorse Rotary Club, a partner in funding the $789,041-bridge project.

Earlier this week, city officials were informed by project contractor Ketza Construction the pedestrian bridge would not be complete in time for the scheduled July 7 opening due to a delivery delay in getting some of the critical equipment for the structure.

While Hnatiuk said the equipment includes some of the bearings and pads needed to connect the steel and concrete, he was unsure of the reason for the delay.

Though some of the pads and bearings were late coming in, Ketza president Peter Densmore said this morning much of the delay stems from the original problem in the steel fabrication.

'We're having an erection problem,' he said with a laugh.

While some of the parts arrived late, he noted they can be co-ordinated into the ongoing construction over the next few weeks as Ketza continues working to finish the bridge.

There was a 'resounding disappointment' by city staff when they were told of the situation, Hnatiuk said.

He pointed out, though, the city wants to ensure the bridge is constructed well with no shortcuts being taken, and he realizes unforeseen things like this can happen on such a project.

'We're just so close to the end, it would be nice to be done once and for all,' he said.

While the delay won't mean higher costs to the city, Hnatiuk said, it may impact the opening ceremonies. Work had already been done on recruiting guests speakers, presentations and entertainment scheduled for the July 7 event. The plans included a visit from Rotary's district governor, Skip Cook, of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Hnatiuk noted Cook wants to co-ordinate a trip to Whitehorse for the bridge opening.

In addition to funding from the city and federal funding sources, the Whitehorse and Yukon Rotary clubs have raised $85,000 through the sale of bridge planks, while Yukon Energy will be contributing a minimum of $53,000 toward the project.

'We've come so far and are so close,' Hnatiuk said.

The project dates back to 1999, he pointed out when Yukon Energy looked at plans for building a pedestrian bridge across its Whitehorse Rapids Dam.

As Yukon Energy began working on plans for the bridge, local priest Jean-Marie Mouchet approached the city with an idea of an accessible trail for all along both sides of the Yukon River.

That has 'morphed' into what we have today, Hnatiuk said.

Following extensive public meetings with issues like whether to pave, the width and the impact of the bridge, the three-metre wide, five-kilometre paved Millennium Trail stretching from the Yukon Energy site in Riverdale to the other side of the river beside Robert Service Campground was constructed.

Plans for the bridge have been met with numerous delays. The first came when the money wasn't available and the city couldn't get an environmental assessment and water license approval for the structure in time for the 2003 construction season.

It was then suggested the bridge would likely be complete by the end of the summer in 2004.

The project was then put off until September 2004 due to the salmon in the Yukon River during the summer. It was expected then the bridge would be done sometime in October.

After the project came in over-budget and was awarded to Ketza, there was a delay in the steel fabrication, with it expected to be erected by February.

The next delay came due to the annual spring weight restrictions put on highways. This meant waiting until the restrictions were taken off so a crane needed for the construction could be brought up from Outside.

The crane finally arrived earlier this month, putting many of the bridge pieces into place.

Hnatiuk hopes to have the grand opening of the pedestrian crossing sometime during the week of July 25-29.

'We're just so close to the end, it'd just be nice to be done once and for all,' said Hnatiuk, who's been involved with the project since its inception.