A new bridge under construction over Bronte Creek in Oakville, Ontario, will be able to accommodate more than 4,000 vehicles per day once it opens in late 2026.
The bridge, which will extend Wyecroft Road between Bronte Road and Burloak Drive, will provide a new route for commuters, bicyclists, pedestrians and private vehicles while helping to reduce traffic pressure on nearby roadways. In addition, as part of this project, a new watermain will be installed to supply Oakville in case of need or growth in the city.
This project, which is more than 30 per cent complete, will have four lanes, plus multi-use lanes on both sides of the road and bike lanes on the roadway. More than two years in the making, this project is estimated to have a budget of about $117 million, of which more than $50 million has come from the regional government.
Sarens has worked on behalf of Niagara Rigging in the transport and subsequent placement of the eight support girders of the new West Tributary Bridge, weighing between 163 and 175 tons. Its engineering team carried out a thorough preliminary study to define the appropriate machinery and setup to be used, taking into account the terrain conditions and the distance to be overcome to place the girders in their final location, which is more than 75 metres.
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Once the girders were loaded at the beam manufacturer’s facilities using Kamag K2400S SPMTs (self-propelled modular transports) in configurations of 2 files x 6 axle lines and 4 files x 12 axle lines, the Sarens team transported each unit to the west side piers for their placement. From the opposite side, a Liebherr LR1600/2 crane unit configured in SDB setup at 66 metres, working in conjunction with an LTM1500-8.1 unit in TY3 configuration, lifted each girder for later placement in their final location while the SPMTs were moved away.
To ensure the operation was carried out to the highest safety standards, the Sarens team placed crane pads under the LR1600/2 unit to increase the stability of the crane and the correct weight distribution on the ground. In addition, it was necessary to ensure the rigging and cable always operated vertically to prevent any possible oscillations in the load from posing a safety risk to both the operators and the infrastructure itself.
The construction project for the new West Tributary bridge and Wyecroft Road extension began in 2019 with the approval of the corresponding budget.
Although construction began in October 2023, tree clearing in the area took place in March of that year. However, as part of its environmental commitment, the municipal corporation will plant three trees for every one felled in the development of this important project.
