INNOVATION-May-June-2020

SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN BRIDGE The new Samuel De Champlain Bridge across the Saint Lawrence River replaced the Champlain Bridge of 1962.

Construction on the new bridge began on June 16, 2015 by the joint-venture consortium “Signature on the St. Lawrence Group”, comprising of SNC-Lavalin, ACS Infrastructure, and Dragados Canada, with T.Y.Lin International as the lead designer for the cable-stayed bridge. The entire bridge length is 3.4 kilometres, including the 530-metre cable-stayed portion. The bridge opened to highway traffic on July 1, 2019. Construction continues on the corridor for the new Réseau express métropolitain light rail system, scheduled for completion in 2023. Key participants: T.Y.Lin International: Marwan Nader, P.Eng. (Engineer of Record), George Baker, P.Eng., Alex Sanjines, P.Eng., Sam Shi, Christopher Taylor, Hayat Tazir, James Duxbury, P.Eng.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS 2O19 | 2O20

DESIGN OF THE WHITE ROCK PIER REPLACEMENT In late December of 2018, the iconic White Rock pier was badly damaged by a powerful storm. The pier suffered extensive structural damage along its length; a 100-metre section was completely torn away. A replacement pier section was designed that was practical, innovative, and enabled rapid reconstruction. It was stronger than the original, economic, quick to install, and had minimal impact on nearby sensitive inter-tidal areas. It also featured a simple and efficient method to raise the pier for future anticipated sea level rise. Permits and construction were completed quickly so that the White Rock’s primary public attraction could be opened to the public as planned by August 2019.

Participants: Daniel Leonard, P.Eng., Vignesh Ramadhas, P.Eng., Hong Liang, P.Eng., Robert Young, P.Eng., Kai-Sing Hui, P.Eng., Stewart Wright, Jim Gordon, P.Eng., Rosaline Choy, P.Eng.

COMOX VALLEY WATERMAIN LEAK EMERGENCY REPAIR The Comox Valley’s source of water suffered a

catastrophic leak, condemning 45,000 residents to severe water restrictions and a potential boil-water advisory. McElhanney discarded expensive, disruptive conventional solutions to innovate the previously unthinkable: mobilize divers to weld the pipe internally, while it was full of water. McElhanney overcame logistical and safety challenges to complete the repair before the start of peak water demand season. Owner: Comox Valley Regional District. Participants: Bob Hudson, P.Eng., Chris Newcomb, P.Eng., Tijana Smiljanic, P.Eng.

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