The Vedder Bridge Replacement project has snagged another award.
This time it’s a 2018 Design-Build Award of Excellence in the major structural project category.
The new bridge, with its wider, aesthetically pleasing design, was among the winners announced by the Canadian Design-Build Institute (CDBI) Friday at the National Design-Build Conference.
The $12.5 million bridge by Emil Anderson Construction saw the 1947-constructed steel girder bridge replaced by one with wider lanes and shoulders as well as two additional lanes for pedestrians and cyclists.
READ MORE: Bridge wins for engineering excellence
The Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada funding was based on a budget for a steel girder bridge, but City of Chilliwack officials were leaning toward the more aesthetically-pleasing option of a steel-arch bridge structure. The request for proposals process was structured for teams to provide two proposal options: Option 1 (steel girder) – approximate value of $11 million, and a more aesthetically-pleasing option 2 (steel arch) – approximate value of $12.75 million.
They went with option 2 and the design-build team lead by Emil Anderson Construction proposed an innovative approach to the construction of an arch design – an approach that controlled the cost and included the city’s desire for a feature design. The city selected the winning team based on price (55%) as well as design innovation (45%).
The design consultant, Klohn Crippen Berger, developed a highly-innovative engineering solution, using a “king post and counterweight” balancing system for the launching of the new bridge across the world-class salmon river and the demolition of the existing bridge, avoiding any in-stream works in the sensitive stream habitat.
“This minimized both environmental impact and cost and made scheduling much more reliable,” according to the CDBI.
The winner in the buildings category was the recently-opened Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, AB.
“It’s is a pleasure to highlight these design-build projects that not only got the job done in time and on budget, but include a high level of innovation,” said Gary Bale, CDBI chair.
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