Hanwei Chen, Lucien Des Mazes Landry, Pak Shing Tam, Max Turnbull, Vincent Xie and Jinghan Xu
- Community Partner: ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. and Comox Valle Regional District
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Applied Science
- Program:
- Campus: Vancouver
Our project
We were asked to design a multi-use bridge across the Tsolum River in the Comox Valley to connect the north and south ends of One Spot Trail in Tsolum Spirit Park. This is a popular regional trail system that is a destination for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians, and a new crossing is needed to connect the trail network, improve access and enhance the overall experience.
Our design solution
Our design needed to be structurally sound, environmentally sensitive, feasible in terms of construction and cost effective. We also needed to incorporate prefabricated components from a previous project, which constrained our design options.
We designed a 125-metre, three-span hybrid cable-stay and suspension bridge supported by two six-metre towers. The hybrid system allowed us to achieve a longer main span without relying on tall towers, keeping the structure more integrated with its natural setting.
To mitigate environmental impacts, we located the bridge piers outside the active river channel and normal high-water mark to minimize impacts on salmonid species. We incorporated rip-rap erosion protection along the slopes to prevent long-term soil degradation and used additional rip-rap to safeguard the foundations during major flood events.
As part of our project deliverables, we also developed a six-month construction schedule and estimated total capital costs of $3.4 million.
How we validated our solution
We built a detailed a model in CSiBridge to verify that all components were within their respective factor of safety. The model evaluated stress distribution, main-span deck bending moments and axial forces, and showed that our design would perform as intended under expected loads.
