When it comes to bridge replacement in Wellington North, councillors here are willing to consider fibreglass over concrete.
Crawford Dewar, of Newton Bridge Solutions, was at council Monday night making that pitch.
Works Superintendent Gary Williamson initially noted the technology was introduced locally a few years ago through Sal-tech Solutions, a now defunct company that had been based in Fergus.
He said due to a number of factors, that technology was taken over by Newton, a division of Linamar, in Guelph. He quipped the technology is still there and trying to “get back on the road again.”
Knowing a bridge replacement is in the budget for 2008, Dewar was invited by council to provide an idea of what his firm can offer. One of the more recent projects of that company was a bridge it did in Huron Shores.
Williamson said the idea is to get the information so council can decide if a parallel tender could exist to allow the Wellington North bridge to be tendered for either concrete or fibreglass panels for the bridge decking.
Dewar stated Sal-tech folded because it lost its performance bonds. However, the technology still exists, and bridges of that type are still being installed, he said.
The first bridge of that type in Canada was built in Guelph-Eramosa in 2000, and to date there are still roughly a dozen such bridges in Canada – with his company the only firm now involved in that construction.
He said hundreds of such bridges exist in the United States. One key component, he said, is the time factor.
Dewar said the decking for a 25 metre bridge can be laid in two days. He cited a pedestrian bridge over Highway 10, where crews were given a 15-minute window to install a 24 metre bridge deck across the highway.
Another factor is cost, he said.
He suggested a potential 10 to 15% savings in deck costs, depending on the bridge.
Dewar said the panels are naturally immune to corrosion
In El Dorado, fibreglass panels replaced the existing wood structure with panels bolted onto existing beams.
Even with the quick installation time for the deck, councillor Dan Yake asked about the preparation time required for the projects.
For the bridge proposed in Wellington North, he expects preparation of the abutments and the beams would be roughly three weeks, and the installation would take a few days.
“It becomes a monolithic structure, using nine pieces,” Yake said.
Questioned by councillor Ross Chaulk on the life span of such a bridge, Dewar’s estimate is 150 years – compared to 25 years for concrete structures, before major work is required.
He noted the firm won a project in Guelph crossing the Speed River – even though the cost was $75,000 – the approach meant the work could be completed in 25 working days rather than shutting down the area for months.
Dewar added there are always concerns about the volume of traffic such bridges can endure. He cited a bridge in Portland, Oregon that has about 30,000 cars crossing each day.
Dewar first became involved in this type of bridge building about 15 years ago, and is still working to bring that technology to the forefront in Canada.
His request to council was for it to consider a parallel tender, so his firm can compete head-to-head with the concrete building approach.
Williamson added that the engineering by K. Smart and Associates is already in place, and would be used in the construction.
“The only variation would be concrete decking versus fibreglass,” Yake said.
“In all other respects, it is a conventional bridge. Why wouldn’t we consider this when we are reviewing it in the budget?” asked Yake.
Williamson noted his hope is to have the tender documents out by the end of February or early March. As chairman of the board of works committee, he said a recommendation would be brought to council.
“It’s nice to be able to look at all your options,” said Mayor Mike Broomhead.
