Golden Ears Bridge
Project at a glance
Industry
Transportation
Location
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Fraser River crossing to connect Surrey and Pitt Meadows
Products + Scope
Expansion JointsGuard RailsStructural Bearing
Pedestrian Railings for Walkways
Guardrail for Approach Ramps
Main Span Traffic Guard Rail
Structure Details
Completed in May of 2009 following a 38-month construction period, the 808-million dollar Golden Ears Bridge links commuters north of the Fraser River to the Fraser Valley section of the Trans Canada Highway. This former ferry route is now a 7,906-foot (2,410 m) cable-stayed bridge with three towers, four kilometers of elevated highway and 9 kilometers of feeder roadway.
Project Highlights
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Marcon was the only fabricator with the ability to meet the design complexity and timeline attributed to the protection rail system.
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Specific material and configuration requests for the protective guarding required a fabricator with a dependable North American supplier network and creative procurement methods to accommodate time and budget constraints.
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The requested elliptical guard rail design required development of specialized tooling to press round pipe into an elliptical profile.
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The project was deemed one of the largest privately-financed concession projects at the time and received Global Deal of the Year by Infrastructure Journal and a Gold Award from the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships (CCPPP). These acknowledgements recognized the innovative funding approach that saved taxpayers 10-million dollars.
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The Golden Ears Bridge northern approach roadway won an Award of Merit from the ACEC-BC in 2010 for Engineering Excellence.