Quartz Creek Bridge Replacement

The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is accelerating four-laning projects along the Trans-Canada Highway 1 as part of their commitment to the National Highway Policy Strategy. The Quartz Creek Bridge, which carries a portion of Highway 1 across a deep valley, was at the end of its useful life.

The old bridge had poor roadway geometry and limited capacity. The team designed the new bridge downstream from the old site to provide for a safer highway with better capacity. The valley itself provided other challenges: its steep, bedrock-exposed walls were highly susceptible to weathering and were found to be very weak and made construction access difficult. Two active slope failures were also identified near the new bridge site.

To overcome these obstacles, our bridge design team evaluated several bridge options with varying span arrangements. Working with our geotechnical staff, they determined the optimal pier foundation locations and the balance of foundation, substructure, and superstructure costs. The selected option is a 180-metre symmetrical three-span steel I-girder bridge. The lightweight structure will allow the bridge to be launched into place, improving constructability.