People travelling across the Seaway International Bridge will have a birds-eye view of the construction of the new bridge connecting Cornwall and Cornwall Island.
Work on the new $79 million low level bridge began in 2011 and the project is on schedule.
“According to our engineers, we have had a great summer for the construction project with no unexpected challenges whatsoever,” said André Girard, Vice President of Communications for the Federal Bridge Corporation. “The nice weather has helped the construction process.”
The general contractor for the current phase of construction is Aecon Construction and Material Limited (ACML), and as work progresses, Mr. Girard has been keeping the public informed on a blog where he has posted dozens of photos of various stages of the construction, to the delight of local residents and bridge enthusiasts.
The planned total construction materials to be used in the project are impressive.
The North Channel span will require 3,475 cubic metres of concrete poured over 440 tonnes of reinforcing steel bar, and 1600 tonnes of structural steel will be erected.
The bridge also must cross the Cornwall Canal, and that construction has required the use of 830 cubic metres of concrete and 100 tonnes of reinforcing steel bar.
The deck of the Canal Bridge incorporates new concrete and reinforcing technology developed in partnership with the National Research Council (NRC) and the design team.
“The deck of the existing high-level North Channel Bridge had to be replaced, notes Mr. Girard.”It is much cheaper to replace the whole structure with a shorter low-level bridge.”
The next major step will take place in March when the formworks will be prepared for casting the bridge deck.
Residents in both Cornwall and Akwesasne are looking forward to the opening of the new low level bridge, which is scheduled for the fall of 2013.
-choosecornwall.ca
