Resurfacing, Repairs, and Renewal: The vital labour-intensive work on Halifax's bridges
The engineering and maintenance work required to keep the MacKay and the Macdonald Bridges safe and efficient is labour-intensive. Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) staff can lean on the most innovative equipment available, but at the heart of the effort, there’s always an employee or a contractor chipping stone, welding steel, scraping away paint, flattening asphalt or inspecting parts 90 metres in the air or deep within an anchorage.
“It’s not high-profile glamourous work. There’s a lot of preparation involved - and sweat in execution - but it has to be done right,” says Chief Engineer Ahsan Chowdhury. “If we get it wrong, it could bring the local economy to a standstill. Halifax needs its bridges.”
While planning for the future of the MacKay Bridge, next generation tolling, and advanced asset management systems pushed forward, it was the labour-intensive efforts that produced the most visible results.
Paving was a big theme, with emergency and non-emergency resurfacing taking place on the MacKay span and the Dartmouth approaches. The walkway on the Macdonald Bridge was also resurfaced.
Concrete repairs were carried out on abutments and overpasses and the restoration of two Dartmouth piers was completed. Four bearings were replaced as part of a 10-year bearing renewal program. When the program is complete in 2024, all 52 of the original bearings will have been replaced.
As supply chain issues and skilled labour shortages sent prices skyrocketing, HHB revised its steel and paint plans, bringing together several projects under one tender with the hope of attracting international interest. Chowdhury and Maintenance manager Frank Robinson took that message on the road to two major trade shows in US. The result? Major American construction players inquiring about bidding opportunities on our projects.
While tens of thousands of man hours were logged on projects during the fiscal year, Safety Manager Dave Power proudly reports there was not a single lost time accident during fiscal 2022-23.
“We are approaching the five-year mark without a serious accident. That’s quite an accomplishment for any organization, but we work hard to stay safe. It’s embedded in our culture, and we are working to keep it that way.”
