Bridge Engineering

Alaska Highway, Structural Inspection & Evaluations | Various Locations along the Alaska Highway

Client: Public Services and Procurement Canada

Project Summary: McElhanney delivered a two-year inspection and evaluation program for 57 transportation structures along the Alaska Highway, including bridges and bridge-culverts of varying size and complexity. Our team provided detailed inspections, non-destructive testing, specialized access planning, and live load evaluations under a condensed schedule, helping PSPC make informed decisions to manage structural risk, safety, and long-term asset performance.

City of Victoria Asset Inventory | Victoria, British Columbia

Client: City of Victoria

Project Summary: McElhanney developed a comprehensive asset inventory and condition assessment program for the City of Victoria’s retaining walls, stairs, railings, bridges, bedrock, and riprap slopes. Using Vertisee, Field Maps, and ArcGIS, our team catalogued more than 1,600 assets, completed field inspections, streamlined reporting, and supported lifecycle costing, remaining service life estimates, long-term financial planning, and risk management profiling. The work also included coordination with a geotechnical subconsultant for bedrock assets and emergency response support for an actively failing wall.

Baxter Bridge Replacement | Enderby, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit

Project Summary: McElhanney delivered conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design for the Baxter Bridge replacement, developing a new 134 m two-lane steel girder crossing over the Shuswap River. A new upstream alignment kept traffic on the existing bridge during construction, while incremental launching and a three-span continuous structure reduced environmental impacts and long-term maintenance needs.

Highway 1 Ford Road to Tappen Valley Road Upgrades (Bridge/Overhead Structures) | Tappen, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit

Project Summary:  As part of a Highway 1 corridor upgrade, McElhanney advanced the preferred overhead bridge concept from conceptual to functional design within MoTI’s integrated team. The crossing was designed as two separate structures to simplify staging and demolition, while a preliminary railway application layout confirmed clearance compliance and supported efficient project delivery. McElhanney provided onsite support during construction.

Highway 3 Bridge Replacements at Big Sand Creek & Jaffray Overhead | Jaffray, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

Project Summary: McElhanney supported replacement of two aging Highway 3 bridges by evaluating five highway alignments and multiple bridge concepts through a multiple-account assessment. The preferred alignment placed most work offline to reduce disruption and improve safety, while final designs balanced rail constraints, constructability, staging, and long-term performance.

Hwy 7 Dewdney Bridge Replacement | Dewdney, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit

Project Summary: McElhanney provided multidisciplinary design and construction support for the replacement of the Dewdney Bridge on Highway 7, improving a critical two-lane connection to Nicomen Island. The new five-span bridge was built offline to maintain traffic during construction, while an innovative steel girder configuration helped lower the highway profile, improve flood resilience, and reduce impacts to the surrounding community.

Burnaby Lake Pedestrian Bridge | Burnaby, British Columbia

Client: City of Burnaby

Project Summary:McElhanney has led planning and development of this active transportation crossing since 2019, helping the City of Burnaby close a 5 km gap between Burnaby Lake Park and Deer Lake Park. Our multidisciplinary team advanced site selection and conceptual design, minimized environmental impacts, and supported successful grant funding to move the project toward delivery.

McAllister Pedestrian Bridge Replacement | Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

Client: City of Port Coquitlam

Project Summary: McElhanney provided conceptual design, detailed design, and construction administration for the replacement of the McAllister Pedestrian Bridge, an important connection across the Coquitlam River between Gates and Lions Parks. Working with VIA Architecture, our team designed a low-maintenance 86 m clear span bridge with timber fairing to complement its natural setting, while carefully addressing liquefiable soils, user-focused lighting, environmental sensitivity, and a construction approach that avoids in-river work by using the existing bridge as falsework.

Summit Drive Pedestrian Bridge | Kamloops, British Columbia

Client: City of Kamloops

Project Summary: McElhanney is supporting the City of Kamloops in exploring a proposed multi-use pedestrian overpass on Summit Drive near Thompson Rivers University. Building on earlier concept work, our team is developing and evaluating bridge options that balance construction cost, constructability, risk, maintenance, aesthetics, user experience, active transportation connectivity, and universal access. Working with Donald MacDonald Bridge Architects and Chandos Construction, McElhanney is advancing preferred concepts with 30% structural design information, preliminary visualizations, photorealistic renderings, and Class C cost estimates to support informed decision-making within the City’s overall project budget.

Campbell River Bridge Seismic and Condition Renewal | Campbell River, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit

Project Summary: McElhanney delivered seismic retrofit and condition renewal design for the Campbell River Bridge, a single-span steel through-truss structure. By advancing a base isolation concept using lead-rubber bearings, our team improved seismic performance, avoided major strengthening of existing components, and helped the Ministry achieve a cost-effective solution that met performance requirements and budget objectives.

Highway 1 Lynn Creek Bridge Renewal | North Vancouver, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit

Project Summary: McElhanney was retained by the Ministry of Transportation and Transit as prime consultant for the $98M Highway 1 at Keith / Seymour Interchange & Lynn Connectivity project. A key part of the assignment was upgrades to the existing Lynn Creek Bridge which was constructed circa 1960 and consists of a 72.3m long tied arch span. Our scope included a targeted load evaluation of the arches, development of strengthening concepts, and detailed design for the renewal of the bridge. The load rating evaluation was conducted using a three-dimensional finite element model of the bridge with the arch geometry determined using a three-dimensional terrestrial scanner, which recorded the geometry of the unloaded arches during night-time traffic closures. Renewal considerations included bearing and deck joint replacement, steel recoating, fibre-reinforced concrete overlay, structural steel repairs, and a TL-5 barrier system.

Canyon River Bridge Rehabilitation | Nanaimo, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit

Project Summary: McElhanney is serving as Engineer of Record for the rehabilitation of Canyon River Bridge, a five-span Highway 1 structure that includes a 49.4 m steel deck truss. The work began with emergency inspections and renewal option reviews, followed by detailed deck condition reporting, barrier safety assessment, 3D modelling, and evaluation of deck, truss, and railing rehabilitation options. Detailed design includes truss fatigue repairs, steel component restoration, deck joint replacement, railing replacement, highway realignment, tendering, construction support, and project close-out.

Highway 1 Ford Road to Tappen Valley Road Upgrades (Bridge/Overhead Structures) | Tappen, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure

Project Summary:  As part of a Highway 1 corridor upgrade, McElhanney advanced the preferred overhead bridge concept from conceptual to functional design within MoTI’s integrated team. The crossing was designed as two separate structures to simplify staging and demolition, while a preliminary railway application layout confirmed clearance compliance and supported efficient project delivery. McElhanney provided onsite support during construction.

Hwy 7 Dewdney Bridge Replacement | Dewdney, British Columbia

Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit

Project Summary: McElhanney provided multidisciplinary design and construction support for the replacement of the Dewdney Bridge on Highway 7, improving a critical two-lane connection to Nicomen Island. The new five-span bridge was built offline to maintain traffic during construction, while an innovative steel girder configuration helped lower the highway profile, improve flood resilience, and reduce impacts to the surrounding community.