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Celsius in the winter. Long hours of darkness
in the winter make it hard to see outdoors.
STRONG & STABLE
Ice in the Mackenzie River is a problem in
April and May. The ice melts and breaks
into chunks in these months. Each chunk is
nearly two metres thick. The river’s strong
current pushes the ice chunks through the
water. The bridge’s piers had to be built to
withstand the force of this icy current.
The Deh Cho Bridge has many special design features. Its roadway and piers
are made of reinforced concrete. There are eight piers. Concrete blocks called
spread footings
were attached to the base of each pier. These help anchor the
piers in the Mackenzie River. Steel
trusses
support the roadway. They reduced
the amount of concrete needed to build the bridge by 30 percent.
The bridge is lightweight. But the mix of steel and concrete keeps it strong. It
can hold up to 2,000 tonnes. Steel cables connect the roadway to two A-shaped
steel towers. The cables also strengthen the roadway.
The Deh Cho Bridge has won worldwide engineering awards. It has caught
the eyes of engineers all over the world. Its lightweight design makes it a feat of
modern engineering.
Years Built:
2008–2012
Location:
Fort Providence,
Northwest Territories
Length:
1,045 metres
Cost:
$202 million
Bridge Type:
Cable stayed
AT A GLANCE
