Highway 547 bridge to Siksika reopens after extensive flood repairs

People who live on and near the Siksika Nation east of Calgary are celebrating the reopening of a key bridge through the community.

The Highway 547 bridge over the Bow River has been closed since the 2013 floods caused severe damage and washed out a nearby embankment. The closure of the damaged bridge meant people living on the south side of the Siksika Nation were cut off from the rest of the community unless they took a roughly one-hour detour.

Chief Vincent Yellow Old Woman says the reopening of the bridge marks a significant step forward for the community but there is still a lot of healing left for those impacted by the floods.

"What you can feel and touch will be done but there's a lot of brokenness too," he said. "That healing has to happen. People lost everything — how can you deal with that, how can you put a time frame to that?"

The bridge opened four months later than scheduled, something Yellow Old Woman says was extremely frustrating for the community as they tried to move on.

Transportation Minister Wayne Drysdale says spring flooding and unexpected underground drilling issues were among the challenges that caused the delay.

However, Drysdale says this is a big day for the people living around Siksika Nation.