Extending the Life of the Angus L. MacDonald Suspension Bridge

The Angus L. Macdonald Suspension Bridge crosses Halifax Harbour and connects Dartmouth and Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. The bridge was opened for traffic in 1955. The overall length of the bridge, including approaches, is 1,347 m (4,419 ft), and the suspension bridge is 762 m (2,500 ft) long. After almost 60 years of service, the aging bridge deck is experiencing significant corrosion problems and is reaching the end of its service life. Therefore, the owner, Halifax Harbour Bridges, decided to replace the entire suspended superstructure including the hangers. Bridge inspections showed that all parts of the bridge that are not being replaced (main cables, towers, cable bents and foundations) are in good condition and expected to have a long life. The designs of the new bridge superstructure and its replacement sequence have been completed. Safety of the public and minimization of traffic disruption have been the central themes driving the design. The entire suspended structure will be replaced sequentially during night or weekend closures. The bridge will be open for traffic during each working day. An unusual feature of the project is that the Owner's Engineer performed a detailed step-by-step analysis of the erection sequence, has designed some of the key erection equipment, and is providing necessary forces and adjustments to the Contractor for his use during erection. The reason for performing analysis that is normally in the Contractor's scope is to reduce the risk to the owner in terms of cost and delays. Following the replacement of deck segments, the deck will be raised to increase the navigation channel clearance by 2.1 m at midspan. Dehumidification of main cables is being considered in order to extend their service life.

• Record URL:
  http://conf.tac-atc.ca/english/annualconference/tac2014/s-33/radojevic.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)

  401-1111 Prince of Wales Drive
  Ottawa, Ontario  Canada 
• Authors:
  • Radojevic, D
  • BUCKLAND, P
  • Kirkwood, K
  • Eppell, J
• Conference:
  • Transportation 2014: Past, Present, Future - 2014 Conference and Exhibition of the Transportation Association of Canada // Transport 2014 : Du passé vers l'avenir - 2014 Congrès et Exposition de 'Association des transports du Canada
• Publication Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 1 PDF file, 958 KB, 10p.
• Monograph Title: Transportation 2014: Past, Present, Future - 2014 Conference and Exhibition of the Transportation Association of Canada // Transport 2014 : Du passé vers l'avenir - 2014 Congrès et Exposition de 'Association des transports du Canada

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Conferences; Corrosion; Cracking; Repairing; Suspension bridges
• Geographic Terms: Canada
• ITRD Terms: 3482: Bridge deck; 8018: Canada; 8525: Conference; 5252: Corrosion; 5211: Cracking; 3635: Repair; 3476: Suspension bridge
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Maintenance and Preservation; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01553275
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)
• Files: ITRD, TAC
• Created Date: Feb 13 2015 4:23PM