The $11.6 million, 270 m long Yoho Bridge is the first major bridge to be replaced under the joint federal/provincial Trans Canada Highway Improvement Program. The existing bridge was constructed in 1958 to carry the highway across the Kicking Horse River and the Canadian Pacific Railway. The aging structure has a substandard alignment and deck width. The new four-lane structure is designed to a 100 km/h alignment standard.
The Ministry of Transportation’s project management team retained Associated Engineering subsidiary, Brybil Projects Ltd., in a joint venture with Urban Systems and Sandwell, to prepare a design using structural concrete. The contract was awarded to Peter Kiewit, who tendered the concrete design. We also prepared designs for a rock fall catch wall and structural retaining walls on the approaches.
The Yoho Bridge site is among the most challenging in the Province. There are major issues concerning geotechnical stability, rockfall hazard, construction access, traffic management, and construction sequencing. The design selected uses modified precast concrete I-girders, supported by structural steel composite delta frames to suit the 64 m long river span required. Twin staggered superstructures were adopted to accommodate the skew crossing, while piled slabs with voided concrete abutments were used on the approaches to mitigate stability concerns. The design allowed the girders to be erected by launching.
The project received a 2005 Consulting Engineers of BC Award of Excellence.