Burlington Canal Lift Bridge

Parsons Brinckerhoff has received a design contract to replace the controls, drives and overhead cables at the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge in Canada.

The Bridge, located on the western shore of Lake Ontario, is made up of four lanes and carries vehicular traffic, connecting the cities of Burlington and Hamilton in Ontario.

Parsons will be responsible for the engineering design, contract administration, resident site services, commissioning and post-construction services of the bridge.

The scope of the contract also includes all essential structural engineering and other related services, as well as evaluation of span drive machinery for partial replacements and retrofits.

The Burlington Canal Lift Bridge consists of a lift span through the canal, along with a tower span and approach span, each at the end of the bridge, as well as a sidewalk for pedestrians on the west side.

The lift span is 117m (380ft) long and 20m (65ft) wide with a vertical lift of 33.5m (110ft), which adjusts the commercial shipping passage through the canal.

Tenders for the construction are scheduled to commence in May 2013, while the build is expected to be complete by March 2015.

The company was also a part of the project team for the initial construction of the bridge and provided engineering for the control house and all mechanical and electrical systems as a sub-consultant.

Parsons Brinckerhoff is a consulting firm assisting in planning, developing, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining infrastructure projects.

Image: Burlington Canal Lift Bridge over the Burlington Canal in Canada. Photo: courtesy of Ibagli.