Don River Blvd. Bridge Rehabilitation

The bridge comprised a 24 metre single span CPCI girder bridge originally built in 1963. The superstructure, designed under the previous standards was found to not meet the current bridge design code. Through a geotechnical investigation, it was determined the capacity of existing substructure was not sufficient to take the load of a similar concrete superstructure and specified live load. Through a life-cycle cost analysis, a composite steel plate girder option utilizing the existing abutments was recommended and selected by the City to limit loading demands on existing substructure and minimize construction cost.  Significant savings were achieved with use of existing pile foundations. The deck design included 90 millimetre thick partial depth precast deck panels, which helped to expedite construction. Semi-integral abutments were adopted in the new design to eliminate the existing and leaking joint seals.