Bridge construction spring followup will include only minor delays, say officials
By Shaun Harley, for the Round Up
The Red Deer River Bridge was fully reopened to two-way traffic on November 11, 2011 following the completion of a new concrete deck overlay.
This bridge, which has been in service since 1962 and is coming up on its 50th anniversary, was due for significant preventive maintenance in order to keep the structure in good condition and extend its useful lifespan.
While the construction activities of the new deck surface could easily be seen from the highway this summer and fall, this project has also included other significant work that the bridge contractor has been working on from below.
The work below involved strengthening the bridge girders to accommodate the increased weights of commercial and industrial loads and the removal of drift caught on the bridge piers.
In order to be able to strengthen the bridge, the existing TELUS communication lines needed to be relocated, which involved the installation of new conduits underneath the bridge curb, and then relocating the fibre-optic lines.
An additional conduit was installed on the bridge to help speed up the process of future telecommunication infrastructure upgrades in Sundre.
Some might ask why the new bridge deck looks and feels different than it was before this project.
The bridge deck has been restored to its original concrete deck riding surface after a number of problems were experienced with the polymer membrane riding surfaces that were installed in the '80s and early '90s.
A concrete deck surface was chosen due to its long lifespan, which minimizes the amount of maintenance required and associated disruptions to traffic.
The project has now been shut down for the winter and will resume in the spring when the weather is suitable for completing the project.
With the completion of the new concrete deck overlay, no other major traffic disruptions can be expected in the spring, but a number of short-term hourly disruptions can be expected during off-peak hours in order to complete the work.
Currently the project is scheduled for final completion in June 2012.
- Shaun Harley is a bridge engineer with Alberta Transportation
