Yukon Suspension Bridge facts for kids
The Yukon Suspension Bridge is a special bridge just for people to walk on. It's a type of suspension bridge that hangs from strong cables. You can find it in northern British Columbia, Canada, along the South Klondike Highway. This amazing bridge is about 200 feet (61 meters) long. It stretches 57 feet (17 meters) high over the beautiful Tutshi River Canyon. Many people visit the bridge, with over 25,000 visitors each summer from May to September. There is a small fee to cross it.
History of the Yukon Suspension Bridge
The Yukon Suspension Bridge was finished in 2006. A company called Surespan Construction Group built it. At first, they thought it would cost about one million Canadian dollars. But because the area is so far away and getting building materials was hard, the final cost was three million Canadian dollars. In 2011, a local group bought the bridge. Now, people from the area own and run it.
How the Bridge Was Built
Building the Yukon Suspension Bridge was a big challenge. This was because it is in a very remote and isolated place. Workers used strong, galvanized steel cables to build the bridge. To get the cables across the canyon, they even needed a helicopter! This was the only way to set up the towers on the far side, as the other side of the canyon was impossible to reach by ground. The main buildings and visitor areas are made completely of wood. This is because concrete is hard to get in such a remote place. Also, winter temperatures there can drop to a very cold -38° Celsius (-36.4° Fahrenheit).
