The winter ice bridge across the Mackenzie River is set to shut down this weekend, possibly marking the last time that motorists can drive across the frozen river.

In anticipation for the spring thaw, the Northwest Territories Transportation Department is closing the Mackenzie ice crossing at Fort Providence, N.W.T., to passenger vehicles at 10 a.m. MT Saturday.

The crossing will be closed to all vehicles as early as 10 a.m. on Monday, according to department officials.

For decades, people driving in the N.W.T. have had to cross the Mackenzie River by ferry in the summer and by frozen ice road in the winter.

But the ferry and ice bridge may soon be replaced by a year-round bridge that is currently being built across the river.

If the Deh Cho Bridge opens to traffic in November, as transportation officials are hoping will be the case, there will no longer be a need for an ice bridge at Fort Providence.

Expect longer river breakup: spokesman

As the ice bridge closes this weekend, Transportation Department spokesman Earl Blacklock said drivers may have to wait longer than usual for the river to break up before ferry service begins.

"Four weeks is the usual amount of time. We're actually planning for longer than that — five or six weeks [because of] the water levels," Blacklock told CBC News.

Low water levels on the river could mean the Merv Hardie ferry won't start operating in mid-May as it usually would, Blacklock said.

That longer cutoff time could affect northerners who want to drive to Alberta over the May long weekend, as well as southern suppliers that transport food, fuel and freight north.

Staff at the Yellowknife Co-op grocery store have already started preparing for the spring river breakup, bringing in large shipments of products like rice and flour.

"We start about a month ahead. We do a lot of planning in our high-velocity items — enough to get us by for about four or five weeks," grocery manager Justin Nelson said Thursday.

More expenses

Not being able to have groceries trucked up for the next five to six weeks could mean more expenses for the Co-op and other retailers, but Nelson said his store will do its best to keep shelves stocked.

The Co-op usually employs helicopter crew to shuttle perishable grocery items across the river during the spring breakup and fall freeze-up.

Nelson said there is "a four- or five-day period when they have to set up for the helicopter shuttles, but during the whole time we'll have plenty of milk and fresh vegetables here.

"You won't even know that it's breakup," he said.

On the bright side, Nelson said the additional costs of shuttling food by helicopter will be a thing of the past once the Deh Cho Bridge finally opens.