AUGUST 2012 The Canadian Business Journal 11 HALIFAX HARBOUR BRIDGES www.hdbc.ca HALIFAX HARBOUR BRIDGES Macdonald Bridge Project 02 CONSTRUCTION CB 02 4 CONSTRUCTION Halifax Harbour Bridges AUGUST 2012 The Canadian Business Journal 5 AROUND THE WORLD AND IN YOUR BACKYARD Buckland & Taylor Ltd. (B&T) provides technical leading edge innovation and specialized bridge engineering services to clients worldwide. The B&T Team is providing structural engineering and design program management services for the Macdonald Bridge Redecking Project for the Halifax Harbor Bridges. B&T is designing both the final bridge and the erection sequences. Complete replacement of a suspension bridge deck, while keeping daytime traffic running, has only ever been done once before in the world - the Lions’ Gate Bridge redecking (British Columbia), managed and designed by B&T. B&T has partnered with Harbourside Engineering and other local consultants to deliver the Halifax Harbor Bridges project. Buckland & Taylor Ltd. 910 - 1809 Barrington Street Halifax, NS B3J 3K8 902.407.8285 www. b-t.com Offices located in Halifax, NS; Edmonton, AB; North Vancouver, BC; and Seattle, WA. Originally constructed in 1955, the Bridge Engineering Technology Macdonald Bridge is a critical piece of Nova In 2008, after 50 years, it was determined that Scotia infrastructure, linking the City of the Macdonald Bridge needed to undergo a Halifax with the greater Dartmouth region. major renovation to redeck the suspended span Providing 24/7 access across the Halifax of the bridge. The project would ensure the long- Harbour, more than 48,000 vehicles cross term safety and maintenance of the Macdonald the Macdonald Bridge every day. Bridge, replacing the road deck, floor beams, and stiffen the trusses and suspender ropes. IN AN EFFORT to boost traffic flow, the Macdonald Currently, project design is underway, led by Bridge added a reversible third lane in 1999. engineering firm Buckland & Taylor and Project During the morning, two lanes head into Halifax, Manager Keith Kirkwood, working alongside while two lanes travel toward Dartmouth during Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) on the Macdon- the evening rush hour. ald Bridge Project. Headquartered in Greater 6 CONSTRUCTION Halifax Harbour Bridges Consulting Engineers Specializing in Bridges, Construction Engineering, Marine Facilities and Buildings Operating as one of the largest independently owned structural engineering firms in At- lantic Canada, Harbourside Engineering Consultants specializes in the design, project management and construction implementation of heavy civil infrastructure projects, with emphasis on bridges, marine structures, construction engineering and buildings. Harbourside Engineering Consultants strives to provide exceptional service for its clients by combining the most up to date structural analysis techniques with sound fundamentals and practical solutions. Our reputation for thorough, accurate and detailed construction documents combined with our award winning designs makes HEC an industry leader both regionally and nationally. HEC, as a subconsultant to Buckland & Taylor Ltd., is proud to be a consultant to Halifax Harbour Bridges and an integral part of the Macdonald Bridge Re-decking project. 19 Portland Street, Suite 101 52 Water Street, Suite 302 Dartmouth, NS B2Y 1H1 Charlottetown, PE C1A 1A4 Tel: (902)405-4696 Tel: (902)370-3277 www.harboursideengineering.com Vancouver, Buckland & Taylor has a satellite “In order to replace the deck of the office in Halifax which works with several local Macdonald Bridge, and in order to do that and consultants, including Harbourside Engineering. keep traffic running, we will use a system that The project design phase was initiated in 2010 was used on a similar project on the Lions Gate with a preliminary engineering report and is Bridge [of Greater Vancouver],” Kirkwood told The slated for completion in September 2013. Canadian Business Journal. “The difference is the Since April 2011, Kirkwood and his engineering wind climate in Halifax is much more severe than team have investigated the project for any “show Vancouver, so it has been a significantly bigger stoppers” – ensuring there are no surprises and challenge to address some of the engineering that the project will move forward. One such chal- issues that come out of the higher wind.” lenge has been the Halifax environment, much The Macdonald Bridge Project is the largest more susceptible to strong wind conditions com- undertaking by Halifax Harbour Bridges since pared to his native British Columbia. construction of the A. Murray MacKay Bridge, AUGUST 2012 The Canadian Business Journal 7 which opened in 1970 and is the only other sible to keep them on during construction, given crossing of the Halifax Harbour. The idea is to the complexities of the project). Representing be- complete the majority of the construction phase tween 1,000 to 1,200 daily crossings in summer through evening and several weekend bridge months, cyclists and pedestrians will be offered closures to minimize bridge traffic disruption. an alternative shuttle service courtesy of Halifax In replacing the bridge deck – the main objective Harbour Bridges during the project’s construction. of the construction phase – the new fabricated Kirkwood summarized, “From an engineering bridge sections are carried by barge and floated perspective, we’re developing world class bridge underneath the bridge and then lifted into the engineering technology.” position of the removed deck section. Unfortunately, the separate pedestrian walk- Project Financing way and bicycle lane must be removed prior to Following the project’s tendering phase, con- the construction phase (it is structurally impos- struction work will be awarded and is scheduled 8 CONSTRUCTION Halifax Harbour Bridges AUGUST 2012 The Canadian Business Journal 9 to begin in 2015 and is expected to finish by September 2016. According to Steve Snider, CEO of Halifax Har- bour Bridges, the project cost (in 2015 dollars) is an estimated $205 million, based on an esti- mated cost of $165 million for engineering and construction, and then the inclusion of a $20 million contingency fund. Cash flow from HHB’s annual toll revenue ($30 million) will cover some of the project cost, while remaining funding will be borrowed. The 2007 financing was through the Province of Nova Scotia. The Province must also approve the project and its financing. Toll revenues are supported through record traffic volumes that the Halifax Harbour Bridges has experienced in recent years, growing to as high as 33.6 million travellers in 2011, with pro- jections of 34 million vehicles this year. Snider concluded, “In terms of the timing of the project, we commenced discussions on the need for this about four years ago. We went through a preliminary engineering that wrapped up in March 2011, which moved directly to a de- tailed design, to be followed by tender, and then construction work can commence.” CB WWW.HDBC.CA 10 CONSTRUCTION Halifax Harbour Bridges AS SEEN IN THE AUGUST 2012 ISSUE OF THE CANADIAN BUSINESS JOURNAL.