Waneta Bridge Rehabilitation Project

The Waneta Bridge Rehabilitation project involved upgrading one of BC’s oldest bridges.  The single lane structure is 500 feet long and was originally constructed for the railway in the late 1800’s.  It was later taken over by the Ministry of Highways and modified for vehicular traffic and has since provided access to the USA through the Waneta Border.

As the bridge was only wide enough for a single lane the road was to be closed for the duration of the work, 84 days, with stiff penalties should the road closure be extended. 

Work started with the installation of a suspended scaffold that would allow workers access to the underside of the structure and stop any demolition and construction debris from entering the river below.  Upon completion of the scaffolding some work on the floor beams was undertaken in preparation for the road closure.  However, the deterioration of the floor beams was found to be much greater than anticipated and so the planned rehabilitation work would not be sufficient.  It was decided that the beams would be replaced instead.  Through close cooperation between Johnston Construction and the Ministry of Transportation the replacement beams were designed, fabricated and delivered to the site on time for the road closure.

Once all the materials had arrived the demolition of the old bridge components and the installation of the new proceeded smoothly.  The road was reopened to the public about 3 weeks ahead of schedule.