December 13, 2022
This project really had Algonquin Bridge walking our talk of “Connecting communities. All ways.” Except this time, it was more a case of speed walking!
Cape Breton Island was one of the hardest hit areas in Atlantic Canada during Hurricane Fiona on September 24, 2022. And way out at the eastern tip of the Island, the community of New Haven suffered substantial damage, including a bridge washout that was the only access for the residents on Fairview Road. Needless to say, a replacement was required ASAP.
Emergency replacement bridge was open to traffic within nine days of order
We were very pleased to be able to respond quickly with the required Algonquin Modular Bridge System. It was on-site within five days of receiving the order from the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works (NSDPW) and open to traffic four days after that — all done except for the paving of the approaches.
Here’s how our emergency replacement bridge was supplied so quickly…
Rapid Response Emergency Bridge timeline:
- Tuesday, September 27: Inquiry from NSDPW came in at 1:30 pm. All internal teams were immediately engaged and prioritized the work required to get our response together quickly without overlooking any quality procedures. We assembled and presented a quote complete with concept drawings and confirmed we could deliver the following week.
- Wednesday, September 28: A PO was received from NSDPW. We quickly organized shipping logistics for Friday, completed the design and proceeded to prepare the parts for shipping.
- Saturday-Sunday, October 1-2: Bridge system travelled from our Thorndale, Ontario, factory to New Haven by flatbed — a distance of 2,250 km.
- Monday, October 3: Bridge system components arrived at New Haven site, ready for assembly by NSDPW crews.
- Friday, October 7: Replacement bridge opened to traffic and NSDPW was able to finish restoring the surrounding roads which had also been severely damaged by the hurricane.
“Bailey Bridge” style replacement bridges are ready to ship across Canada
Algonquin Bridge maintains an inventory of Modular Bridge Systems for fast delivery throughout Canada. These pre-engineered “Bailey Bridge” style replacement bridges are ideally suited to the fast replacement of damaged bridges or bridge washouts and have proven themselves many times in emergency situations. Local teams with minimal experience can easily assemble these emergency replacement bridges on-site, and they can be either lifted into place or cantilever launched from one side.
