INNOVATION November-December 2017

F E A T U R E

PERSPECTIVES ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER SKYWALK PROJECT Sharing challenges, sharing discoveries

RONAN DEANE, P.ENG., MIEI

The Columbia River Skywalk in Trail, BC, is one of the longest bike-friendly pedestrian suspension bridges North America. P hoto : R yan F lett M edia courtesy of G raham .

T he Columbia River Skywalk is one of the longest bike- friendly pedestrian suspension bridges North America, spanning more than 295 metres from landing to landing. This signature structure opened in late 2016, and is part of the Trans Canada Trail network. It also provides a new crossing for utility (water and sewer) pipelines, previously housed on the condemned Old Trail Bridge that it replaced. Comprehensive analysis of the bridge structure during all phases of the erection needed to be performed to ensure that the structure was not overloaded at any stage during construction. Project management was provided by TRUE Consulting, bridge design by COWI North America Ltd., and bridge construction by Graham Infrastructure LP.

All-Span Engineering designed a comprehensive plan for installation and erection. Elements included a 225-metre highline and work platform for the installation of the suspension elements and deck structure, along with all cable pulling and stressing equipment. Construction of the Columbia River Skywalk took 14 months to complete at a total cost of $15.5 million—making it the City of Trail’s largest capital project to date. The project was recently recognized with a Vancouver Regional Construction Association Silver Award of Excellence in Construction for a General Contractor, for projects up to $20 million. The following are the perspectives of some of the key players in this unique project about their challenges and what they learned from the experience.

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