Transportation

St. Andrews Lock and Dam Comprehensive Detailed Inspection

Location

Lockport, Manitoba

Expertise

Transportation

Bridges

Bridge Rehabilitation & Retrofit

Infrastructure

Structures

Water Supply, Storage, & Distribution

The St. Andrews Lock & Dam (SALD), located in Lockport, Manitoba, was constructed in the early 20^th century to facilitate commercial navigation from Lake Winnipeg to the City of Winnipeg by drowning the Lister Rapids during the navigation season.

The facility is operated and maintained by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and consists of a dam, a navigation lock, a fish ladder, and a two-lane traffic bridge. Most operational features of the dam and lock for navigation purposes remain unchanged from its original opening date.

The dam and traffic bridge are inspected regularly above and below water, according to the PWGSC Dam and Bridge Inspection Policies and Procedures. Following Associated Engineering’s success in ranking first in Western Canada on the PWGSC standing offer for Civil Engineering Services, Associated Engineering’s Winnipeg office was awarded the 2015 inspection program.

Client

Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)

Built

In the early 1900s

Project Highlights

270m

Long

In order to meet the technical requirements and project timelines, delivery of the assignment was a “One Company” collaborative effort led out of the Winnipeg office. Staff from other offices with specific technical expertise related to dam operations, structural/seismic evaluations, and bridge inspections were instrumental in completing the tasks to date and were key in production of the final deliverables.

Here are some facts about the dam and bridge (courtesy of the Government of Canada):

the dam and bridge is 270 metres long
it crosses the Red River at Lockport
there are 7 concrete piers
each pier is 15 meters high
steel trusses that are about 40 metres long span between the piers
the piers are joined at the bottom by a 6-metre-high by 11-metre-wide concrete sill or fixed dam
there are 15 steel frames per span
- the exception is that one span has 14 frames and a fish ladder so that fish can migrate through the dam
The roadway over the dam also goes across the lock
The speed limit is 50 km/h and the road has a load restriction of 36 tonnes