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Chaudière Crossing Bridge Rehabilitation

Abstract

 The Chaudière Crossing was the first bridge built over the Ottawa River and today provides a vital interprovincial transportation link between Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec. The Crossing is an essential component of the National Capital Region economy as it is a primary commuter route between the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, carrying approximately 28,000 vehicles daily. As such, this crossing cannot be closed to traffic nor is it feasible to replace structures. Therefore, structure rehabilitation is the only practical solution. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) was allocated $400 million over two years to repair Crownowned public infrastructure such as buildings and bridges. While this presented a great opportunity for PWGSC to accelerate the rehabilitation of the Crossing, it also posed a challenge to complete a major project in a tight timeframe. After much consideration, the solution selected was to re-line the existing arches with a series of precast arch elements and to grout the annulus between the host structures and the precast elements. This case study examines the various aspects of this project from the initial stages of design, through the various solution options, to the development of the final solution. More importantly, it explores the challenging manufacturing and construction operations that involved working with a series of large and heavy components, in a restricted space, over the Ottawa River. With a restricted time schedule and the above noted construction constraints, the paper details how those major obstacles were overcome to complete this project on time and on budget. 

Conference Paper Details

Session title:
PONTS - INNOVATIONS (A)
Author(s):
Douglas K. Lowry
David Delicate
Topics:
Structures
Year:
2012