The Waiparous Creek Provincial Recreation Area lies deep in the Rocky Mountain foothills, northwest of Calgary. To mitigate the risks to the aquatic environment caused by in-stream activities following the floods of 2013, Alberta Environment and Parks needed a robust vehicular trail bridge. The AIL Group won the contract to design and supply the new bridge.
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Access to the site was a challenge
Because this site could only be accessed by the narrow trail, the bridge was designed in three sections to facilitate transport. The contractor, Volker Stevin Highways Ltd., spliced the sections together at the site. We also provided precast concrete deck panels for the wearing surface. This also aided the delivery, installation and costs.
New bridge part of Fisheries Habitat Enhancement and Sustainability Program
This project is part of the Alberta Environment and Parks’ Southern Alberta Fisheries Habitat Enhancement and Sustainability (FISHES) Program, which was put in place to restore damage from the 2013 floods. The bridge effectively replaced several off-highway vehicle fording sites.
Prefabricated steel bridges offer several key benefits for crossings over sensitive, flood-prone stream habitat, such as:
- Open-flow designs
- Minimal site impact
- Naturally weathering, low-maintenance steel
- Easy to ship and install with local crews and equipment
- Recycled and recyclable content
With open and continuous communication, we were able to work very closely with Volker Stevin to ensure their delivery and installation went according to plan. Our contact seemed very happy with the results and posted this on LinkedIn.
