Page 7 - SAUN_STRU_BRID_FPGS.indd

Celsius in the winter. Long hours of darkness
AT A GLANCE
in the winter make it hard to see outdoors.

STRONG & STABLE Years Built: 2008–2012
Location: Fort Providence,
Ice in the Mackenzie River is a problem in Northwest Territories
April and May. The ice melts and breaks Length: 1,045 metres

into chunks in these months. Each chunk is Cost: $202 million

nearly two metres thick. The river’s strong Bridge Type: Cable stayed

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.

21

SAUN_STRU_BRID_FPGS.indd 21 6/8/16 4:40 PM