The Minister of Transportation, David Ramsay, admitted the Deh Cho Bridge costs will exceed the budgeted $182 million.

Ramsay said he will be asking for more money to cover the cost of the design, engineering and project management.

Ramsay did not specify how much the bridge would cost, but he said it could be in the neighbourhood of five per cent of the total project's budget. That would add another $10 million to the project's cost.

Transportation Minister David Ramsay told the N.W.T. legislative assembly Tuesday that the Deh Cho Bridge costs will exceed $182 million. (Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories)

"The added costs are required for contract change orders, arising from improvements to the design. These will enhance the quality of work and the long-term performance of this bridge. There are also additional project management and engineering costs arising from the extension of construction to the fall of 2012, and we will also need to maintain a suitable construction contingency fund to deal with unknowns on the remaining construction activities," he said.

Ramsay said he still expects the bridge to be open by the fall of 2012, but he said it’s possible that severe weather, late materials and new work, such as the installation of towers and cables, could put the project even further behind schedule.

Ramsay says it remains the contractor’s responsibility to get the work done.