June 11, 2007

Bridge Construction

Golden Ears more than just a bridge

The billion dollar bridge will move traffic evenly on both sides of the Fraser River

Warren Frey

Staff Writer

The Golden Ears Bridge will alleviate traffic woes between Surrey, Langley, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. But in order to get the bridge across the Fraser River and connecting those communities, Translink and its construction partners had to surmount a series of engineering problems.

One of the biggest challenges for the Golden Ears Bridge project was finding a suitable method to anchor the structure to the ground, Translink vice-president of major construction and project director Fred Cummings said. “Geotechnical conditions on the Fraser River are weak soils, with unusual consistencies. There was really nothing we could use as a bearing for piles, all the way to a depth of 100 metres,” Cummings said.

But Golden Crossing, one of the firms involved with the project, came up with an innovative approach to the problem that hasn’t been used extensively in North America.

“By boring down 90 metres, and then filling the hole with concrete, they were able to create a friction pile,” he said.

This innovation was combined with a thin deck, in order to minimize loading on the piles.

“In fact, it’s a very lightweight superstructure throughout the bridge,” Cummings said.

The other serious engineering challenge, Cumming said, was to establish an arterial road network for people and goods in an area already populated by residential developments.

“The design we came up with does limit impacts, while facilitating movement. This is more than a bridge, it’s a network, and we wanted the network complete on day one,” he said.

Another approach was to “put the traffic where it wants to go,” Cumming said.

The key was making sure traffic is distributed evenly between Langley and Surrey. On the north side, the bridge and its network will connect to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

The entire project will cost “about a billion dollars,” Cumming said.

Approximately 808 million of that will come from capital contractors, including the 50 million in licenses paid to Translink to build and maintain the bridge on their property over the course of a 35-year license.

Translink

Construction of the new Golden Ears Bridge and road network will create more than one billion dollars in economic activity and 6,500 person years of employment. The project will move traffic easily between Surrey, Langley, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows and is scheduled for completion in 2009.

Translink will also contribute approximately $160 million to the project.

Given the booming construction economy, finding labour for the project wasn’t a given, but Cumming said the contracting firms were able to secure the skilled workers needed.

“It wasn’t easy at the start, but they now have a full complement of staff,” he said.

Detailed design and construction is provided by the Golden Crossing Constructors Joint Venture, combining some of the world’s leading experts in bridge construction with solid local experience.

Sound walls, landscaping and special pavement - all special tricks Golden Crossing Constructors Joint Venture is plotting to drown out the traffic from the Golden Ears Bridge.

When completed in 2009, the new six-lane bridge will provide quicker travel times for motorists and truckers. It will also promote business activity, investment and job creation in the host communities and beyond.

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