Photograph By Chung Chow
Photograph By Chung Chow
Photograph By Chung Chow
Dismantling of old Port Mann a challenge
Jeremy Deutsch / Tri-Cities Now
June 16, 2014 04:45 PM
In the old days, if you wanted to dismantle a bridge, you’d blow it up and pick up the pieces in the water afterward.
But times and regulations have changed, and while the old way might be much easier, for obvious reasons it’s not very environmentally friendly.
So officials behind the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement project have been tasked with taking down the old Port Mann, by building it in reverse.
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Just like when the bridge was built, supports have been put in place while crews carry out the work, which began at the same time the new bridge opened at the end of 2012.
The process began with the removal of the bridge’s approaches.
Crews are now removing the bracing from the big orange arches and cutting a middle girder out.
The latter job has separated the steel structure into two pieces.
With the first girders removed, work will proceed to the outside edges.
Eventually, the supports will be removed and crews will work their way down the structure.
The pieces of bridge will be lowered into a barge and taken away.
As much of the material as possible from the bridge is being recycled.
Linda Meindersma, the project’s bridge section manager, explained that engineers had to back-calculate all the loads on the bridge to determine what would work in the dismantling process.
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In all, the work is expected to take another eight to 12 months to complete.
The cost to dismantle the bridge was factored into the budget of the project, but officials note the work makes up a small portion of the $3.3-billion budget.
The work on the old Port Mann has also given construction crews the opportunity to continue finishing the new bridge.
Work on the two last lanes and pedestrian/bike path continues, but a specific date for completion hasn’t been determined.
When complete, the two far right lanes, dubbed “local connection lanes,†will be used for traffic travelling to and from Coquitlam and Surrey.
Max Logan, spokesperson for Transportation Investment Corp., the company in charge of the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement project, noted that with huge volumes of traffic moving between the two communities, the lanes will cut down on weaving and make travel more efficient and safe.
As for traffic volumes, he said bridge use is about one to two per cent off from this time last year, before the tolls doubled at the start of the year.
Roughly 110,000 vehicles cross the span each day.
Logan said project officials aren’t as focused on traffic volume, adding there isn’t an ideal number in mind.
Instead, he said travel times have improved, shaving an hour off a round trip from Langley to Vancouver.
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