Abstract Manager

The original bridge on Provincial Roadway (PR) 391 over the Burntwood River, known as the Miles Hart Bridge, is an essential crossing to the residents of the City of Thompson (City) and the northern region of the Province of Manitoba. PR 391 serves as continuation of Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 6 through the City. This highway is a vital provincial link, providing 761 km of paved highway access between Winnipeg and the Hub of the North. The City is the largest in northern Manitoba with a population of 13,678 (2016 Census), approximately 40% of which are Indigenous. Together with the expanded trade area of over 50,000 residents and several First Nations communities receiving commercial goods and essential services via Thompson, the Indigenous population was a key stakeholder. An average of 2,850 vehicles travel across the bridge daily. 

The assignment included project management services, Preliminary Design follow-up to confirm the bridge rehabilitation strategy, Detailed Design activities for the rehabilitation of the structure and approach roadways, tender package preparation, Contract Administration and Construction Inspection. 

The original bridge was a 5-span, 173.15m steel girder bridge comprised of four girder lines supporting a CIP concrete deck. The spans 16.24m-39.85m- 60.96m-39.85m-16.24m. The two end spans were simply supported while the three middle spans were continuous.  The rehabilitation strategy included widening the bridge superstructure from 12.42m to 14.65m. Widening the CIP concrete deck required adding steel cantilever supports to the bridge overhangs. The bridge construction staging maintained a single operating lane of traffic throughout construction. The Detailed Design assignment also included steel girder strengthening, eliminating expansion joints over the piers and connecting all girders to be continuous spans. It also included bearing replacement, substructure modifications, approach roadworks and AT pathway, and a new Indigenous art installation commemorative bench.