Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) used a rapid replacement technique for the first time in Canada to remove and replace two bridges in 15 hours on the busiest thoroughfare of the Nation's Capital. On August 11, 2007, the twin structures, 4 lanes and weighing 650 tonnes each, were removed by self propelled modular transporters and replaced with two new structures that were constructed in a nearby staging area. The removal and replacement of the bridges required a complete closure of Highway 417 (Ottawa Queensway). What normally would have required two full construction seasons with traditional staging, traffic shifts and delays was completed overnight saving an estimated $2.4M, significantly reducing the length of traffic delays, societal costs and resulting environmental impacts. Although this project did not specifically track vehicle emission levels, theoretical estimates indicate that utilizing rapid bridge replacement technology can reduce hydrocarbon, CO and NO emissions compared to a conventional construction approach. This project wsa nominated for the 2007 TAC Environmental Acheivement Award. For the covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E216597.
Abstract