CN Rail plans to rebuild the bridge at Steen River, Alta. and reconnect a vital supply line to NWT communities, a CN news release announced Tuesday.

The bridge was destroyed by a wildfire in May, severing a key route between the NWT and the south. Stretching 360 feet from end-to-end, the bridge's rail line carries fuel north to Hay River before it's trucked and barged throughout the territory.

Construction is expected to be completed by mid-August. Suncor will help CN fund the project.

Since the bridge was destroyed, Imperial Oil has covered the extra costs of transporting fuel north by truck.

In the release, Minister of Infrastructure Wally Schumann said the government of the NWT was pleased with the project moving forward.

SA国际影视传媒淭he Mackenzie Northern Railway is part of a transportation network extending from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico," he stated.

"This network has historically connected northern resources to southern markets and plays a key role in the transportation of fuel and other essential goods that are forwarded by truck and barge to communities and industries throughout the NWT, and across the Western Arctic.SA国际影视传媒�