Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge, Canada

The Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge will link Earl Armstrong Road and Strandherd Drive. The purpose of the project is to reduce the congestion and delays on Rideau River crossing, which arose due to the increase in population growth in the South Urban Community (SUC). The bridge also enhances sharing of resources and access to business between Riverside south and Barrhaven of the SUC.

The new bridge will significantly relieve the traffic pressure on the existing bridges at Manotick and Hunt Club Road. The dedicated transit lanes will provide better transit facilities and also reduce the travel time to the Ottawa International airport. The project is sponsored and operated by the City of Ottawa.

The $48m bridge construction started in July 2010.

Project

The project was conceptualised in 2008. The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, National Capital Commission, the Algonquin of Ontario and other government agencies approved the construction of the bridge by 2009. The bridge design was also approved by the Federal Government in April 2009. Tenders for construction were closed in February 2010 and the construction process started in July 2010. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2012.

The project was identified as a critical continuous east-west arterial road by both South Nepean Secondary and the Riverside South Community.

The bridge design includes four lanes for cars and trucks, two for buses, two for bikes and cycles, two lanes dedicated for turning and two for sidewalks. It also includes restoring landscapes on the east and west riverbanks for promoting wildlife habitat, minimising light pollution and managing the storm water in the post-construction period of bridge.

Design

In 2007, the Rideau Canal was identified by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The preliminary design of the bridge was prepared in compliance with the policy made to protect the heritage of the designated site in February 2009. The design was approved by the National Capital Commission and Parks Canada.

The bridge will be 143m-long and 50m-wide. The main arch of the bridge will be 31m-high, supported by structured cables. The bridge will be in above deck arch structure form. The sidewalks will be 3m-wide. Pedestrian scale lighting will be provided along the bridge.

The design focused on incorporating heritage features and improving the road conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. It also focused on providing 100 year design life to the structure, high quality durable materials, minimising the effect on the habitat during the construction and offering cost-effective and safe bridge.

Construction

The $48m construction contract was originally awarded to ConCreate USL of Bolton, Ontario. The company, however, went into receivership in early 2012. Horseshoe Hill Construction was later awarded the contract for the project. Delcan Corporation is the lead constant for the project.

The ground breaking for the bridge construction was held on 27 July 2010, and so far about 12% of the work has been completed at a cost of $6m. About 60% of the site was prepared for the construction, footing for deep foundations on east side was fully completed, 25% of the structural steel was fabricated and 55% of the bridge launching system has been completed by that time.

The on-site bridge construction started in April 2011 and the bridge platform construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2012 or early 2013. As of June 2012, 60% of the construction work has been completed.

Financing

The total investment estimated for the construction of Strandherd-Armstrong bridge is $49.9m. The project is being financed by the Federal and provincial governments of Canada. Both the federal and provincial governments announced their commitments to fund the project in June 2011. They have provided funding for the project under Building Canada Fund.

The Federal Government has contributed $15.9m, which is about one third of the project cost. Ottawa's funding was approved in 2010.