| Work Detail |
The new bridge under construction over Bronte Creek, which will extend Wyecroft Road between Bronte Road and Burloak Drive in Oakville, will be able to accommodate more than 4,000 vehicles per day once it opens in late 2026, providing transportation for commuters, bicyclists, pedestrians and private vehicles and helping to reduce traffic pressure on nearby roadways.
In addition, as part of this project, a new water main will be installed to supply Oakville in case of need or growth in the city.
This project, which city officials say is already 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 approximately $117 million, of which more than $50 million has come from the regional government.
“This bridge will see 4,000 vehicle trips a day and this is getting done with us staying out of the environmentally sensitive areas here and replacing three times the amount of trees that needed to be removed. This is just a good news project for the region that will further connect Burlington and Oakville,” said Oakville Ward 1 Councillor Sean O’Meara at a media availability last month.
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. To this end, 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 meters.
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 where would later be placed. From the opposite side, a Liebherr LR1600/2 crane unit configured in SDB setup at 66 meters, working in conjunction with an LTM1500-8.1 unit in TY3 configuration, lifted each girders for later placement in their final location while the SPMTs were moved away.
To ensure that 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 that 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 as such began in October 2023, tree clearing in the area occupied by the works 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 urban project. |
