MONTREAL – FEBRUARY 15, 2016 — MAADI Group, a Montreal-area builder of aluminum structures and Make-A-Bridge®, has delivered a prototype bridge that can be deployed, in as little as 1 hour 20 minutes, to be tested for the next six-months by the 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (5 CMBG) near Quebec City.
“Our system and process is quick and simple, and this project revolutionizes the business. It’s like assembling Lego® blocks”, says MAADI Group president Alexandre de la Chevrotière. “Eleven of these structures have been sold outside to civilian organizations and this is the first one being tested by the Military”, adds de la Chevrotière.
The modular bridge design is 18 meters in length and has the ability to support the passage of small motorized vehicles such as snowmobiles and recreational vehicles, and up to 137 soldiers can cross at the same. The frame is supported by rugged bolts, and underwent significant resistance testing in conjunction with the University of Waterloo.
Testing began the week of January 18, 2016 at the request of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). “The idea is to test the modular bridge to see if it is practical to introduce within our operations. We have already tested several scenarios during the week”, says 5 CMBG major Martin Brosseau.
Over the coming months 5 CMBG will be testing this rapid deployment bridge in a number of scenarios including assembling, disassembling, and air lift by helicopter.
“Clearly this couldn’t be a better test of our workmanship and Make-A-Bridge system added de la Chevrotière. “If the tests are conclusive, it will be a fantastic opportunity for us to develop rapid deployment bridges for military purposes or public security in case of flooding, earthquakes and hurricanes. We believe the demand for such solutions will be increasing in the next decade”.
Read the article in the Journal de la vie communautaire militaire ADSUM (p. 11)
