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SERVICES:
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Wave Equation Analysis (WEAP)
Vibration Monitoring
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foundations. The new addition to the
bridge meant working in a very tight
and difficult location along the east
side of bulky stone foundations that
had been laid down a century-and-ahalf
earlier.
Those old stone blocks once supported
the infamous Great Western
Railway Bridge that was the site of
one of Canada’s worst railroad disasters.
In 1857, just as the locomotive
started across the timber suspension
bridge, a front axle broke, causing the
train to lurch off the rails and crash
through the wooden deck, dragging
59 passengers to their deaths on the
frozen surface of the canal 60 feet
below. A new pre-stressed box beam
bridge now sits on the same strong
stone abutments, and tight alongside,
below the steep slope of the
bank, is where Bermingham had to
find a way to set piles to support the
new bridge structure.
Bermingham would have to use
all its expertise to come up with
successful solutions to some big
on-site challenges.
A strong working base
“The scope of our role in the project
encompassed several stages, spaced
out over the last year,” said Andrew
Morrisey, project manager with
Bermingham. “First, we needed to construct
a protection system to support
the existing tracks during construction.
Because the new footings and
pier are immediately adjacent to the
very old existing abutment, there were
some concerns about the stability of
that structure.”
Keeping mindful of the vibrations
while working next to that 150-year-old
structure meant constant monitoring
during driving operations.
The next step was to construct the
abutment. Because the Desjardins
Canal is too narrow to accommodate
barging equipment, all the work had to
be done from land.
“It was a tight workspace at track
elevation, wedged between converging
railways and the sharp slope to the
canal,” said Morrisey. “Throughout the
project, this lack of room to manoeuver
was a major challenge. Usually the piers
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Installation of a micropile
at pier location embedded
in slope bottom
CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 36 Q4 2016 www.pilingcanada.ca
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