Located west of Montreal, Vaudreuil-Dorion is a vibrant, youthful city with over 50 parks, many sports facilities, and festivals such as the O Tour de Félix, a cycling event combining sports and culture.
November 6, 2018 — Boucherville, Quebec, Canada — The large number of public spaces and events devoted to physical activities in this city shows just how much its residents value community and sports and recreation.
So it stands to reason that pedestrian and cycling pathways must be safe, resilient, and easily accessible for this city’s active population.
Recently, construction of a multi-purpose bike path on Henry-Ford and White Streets and the installation of a bike and pedestrian custom aluminum bridge on the Quinchien River got underway. The existing bridge was about 30 years old and in need of replacing. Designed and constructed by aluminum bridge manufacturer MAADI Group Inc., the contract includes civil work, landscaping and installation of an efficient aluminum bridge with costs from the city’s municipal budget estimated at $555,085.98 (including taxes). The project represents a positive addition to this bustling city where the population has doubled in size from 15 years ago and the average age is 37.
“The bridge and pathway provide a shortcut to an entire residential area,” says Abdelilah Hassani, Civil Engineering Technician – Engineering and Environment, Service du développement et de l’aménagement du territoire, City of Vaudreuil-Dorion. “Cyclists and pedestrians will save time and enjoy a more scenic route near the river.”
The city’s total network of bike paths is paved and accessible to walkers, runners, and inline skaters. Cyclists moving along the path on the way to the bridge will have a place to secure their bikes and rest before or after the bridge depending on the direction they’re arriving from. And building plans include a pleasing green space along the path to be coordinated with the municipality. At the bridge, plants such as willow and dogwood will provide a welcome natural setting along with cedar logs. These natural features will help to keep soil on the banks in place during rainstorms and other harsh weather, preventing slides.
The new 15.0 m (49 ft and 2 ½ inches) Arched Pony Truss Bridge is 3.7 m (or just over 12 feet) wide, giving cyclists and walkers, joggers and skaters ample space to be on aluminum truss bridge at the same time.
Pony truss bridge
A pony truss bridge is a truss bridge where the sides rise above the road but aren’t joined at the top with cross braces. Built for maximum strength, the bridge’s minimalist design is pleasing to view and integrates well with the existing natural environment and location.
Conforming to CSA S6-06 – Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code by Canadian Standards Association, the 7050 kg (15,500 lb) bridge can handle a pedestrian load of 4.2 kPa (90 psf) or a maintenance vehicle of 60 kN (13,500 lb).
The bridge has vertical pickets, a wooden floor of exotic IPE 8/4 x 6’’ with CCD extrusions of 12 inches of 5000 tonnage with mostly 6061 alloys used in construction. The joining processes include Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) using filler alloy ER5356 and Argon gas, while surface-finishing processes includes mill fish aluminum (bare).
“The nature of these structures requires an in-depth analysis for the top chord stability criteria, utilizing elastic lateral restraints,” says bridge construction company MAADI Group’s CEO, Alex de la Chevrotière “The buckling of extrusion walls were carefully evaluated by the latest edition of the aluminum design code.”
The new multi-purpose bike path on Henry-Ford and White Streets and the bike and pedestrian bridge on the Quinchien River will link up with the many existing pathways that cross the city’s neighbourhoods, connecting parks, schools, shops, and places of residence. Ranked in 2017 as the 15th of 100 best cities to raise children in Canada, Vaudreuil-Dorion continues to offer its residents a high quality of life, ranking excellence and innovation as vital parts of that equation.
