Our Projects
Raising the Bar at Every Turn
Engineering Design and Innovation
Every project that Harbourside undertakes is backed by our commitment to engineering excellence. Our work is characterized by thorough communication and comprehensive design. We see the whole picture. At every step, Harbourside redefines the meaning of quality engineering. With seasoned professionals from every sector of the industry, we are able to solve even the most technically challenging projects. Both throughout Atlantic Canada, and on the international stage, our work has been recognized by highest supervising bodies. The award-winning projects below are a testament to the calibre of the engineering performed at Harbourside.
Port Lands Flood Protection and Redevelopment
Harbourside Engineering provided erection engineering services for the fabrication, transportation, and erection of four steel arch bridges for Waterfront Toronto, Ontario. Two of the new bridges cross the Keating Channel to replace the previous Cherry Street North Bridge, and the other two, on Cherry Street and Commissioners Street, cross the new river valley at the mouth of the Don River. Most of the work to build and coat these structures was completed in Nova Scotia, and they were later transported by barge to Toronto.
Highway 104 Twinning (Part 3)
The Highway 104 Twinning Project was a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Maintain (DBFOM) project, including twinning the 100 series highway between Sutherlands River and Antigonish, Nova Scotia, with new interchanges and bridges. Working as part of the Dexter Nova Alliance (DNA), Harbourside Engineering Group completed the design of bridge structures, and was awarded the 2025 Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in Engineering for this project.
St. Peter’s Swing Bridge Replacement
Harbourside Engineering Consultants was contracted by Dexter Construction to provide specialist structural construction engineering services for the replacement of the existing St Peter’s Swing Bridge in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The new structure is a two lane, two span bobtail swing bridge over the historic St. Peter’s Canal. It consists of a cast-in-place reinforced concrete deck supported by twin trapezoidal steel box girders, founded on cast-in-place concrete piers and abutments complete with socketed piles.
Burgoyne Bridge Erection
The Burgoyne bridge is one of three crossings that span Twelve Mile Creek. It is an important transportation artery for the Niagara area, Ontario. By 2010, it was recommended that the bridge be replaced, and Harbourside was contacted by Pomerleau and Structal as a subconsultant to handle construction phasing and unique launch and design approaches, which began in 2014. After completion in 2016, Harbourside was awarded the Award of Excellence at the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards Gala for the project in 2017.
THE BIG LIFT: Angus L. MacDonald Redecking Project
The existing deck and stiffening truss of the Angus L. Macdonald (ALM) Bridge, spanning over the Halifax Harbour in Nova Scotia, were nearing the end of their service life and needed replacement. The project consisted of the design of the new suspended deck and stiffening truss, as well as the analysis of the bridge during erection and the design of the main erection equipment. Harbourside received the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Engineering in 2018 for its work on The Big Lift.
Seal Island Bridge Emergency Repair
The Seal Island Bridge Structure, or the Great Bras d’Or Crossing, in Victoria County, Nova Scotia, is the third largest bridge span in the province and a crucial link in the Trans-Canada Highway between Sydney and Baddeck. The NS Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal consulted Harbourside to provide structural engineering services for the assessment of the three span continuous main span and rehabilitation of a damaged truss diagonal. Harbourside developed an innovative structural repair with detailed phasing drawings.
Juno Beach Memorial Pedestrian Bridge Erection
The Hunt Club pedestrian bridge was completed in 2014. Originally designed by another firm, multiple setbacks prompted the City of Ottawa to dismiss the original designer and retain Parsons to redesign the bridge. The in turn hired Harbourside as the bridge erection specialists.
East River & Sydney River Arch Bridges
Harbourside was engaged by the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal to conduct full assessments on the East River Bridge in Sheet Harbour and the Sydney River Bridge in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. A cost-comparison between rehabilitation and replacement was put forward, deeming a full replacement as most effective option for both. Harbourside completed the detailed design of replacement structures for the two sites, along with providing construction engineering services for the demolition of the existing bridges.
Northwest River Bridge Replacement
Public Works and Government Services issued a call for proposals in 2014 for the replacement of the Northwest River Bridge, located within Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland. The project objective was to remove and replace the existing bridge and to realign the approaches on each side of the bridge to current NL-DOTW standards. Harbourside was also responsible for the design of the temporary sheet pile retaining walls along each approach, and the phasing for the extension of the golf course underpass structure immediately east of the river bridge.
Bonnie Road Bridge Emergency Collision Repairs
Harbourside Engineering Consultants was sourced by the NS Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal to provide emergency repair services after four girders were struck by a vehicle on the Bonnie Road Underpass Bridge that spans over Highway 101 in Meteghan, Nova Scotia. Harbourside’s scope of work included determining the extent of repairs, demolition design and phasing, detailed design of new bridge components, and erection phasing. Although a detour was necessary during the bridge's closure, it was vastly reduced due to Harbourside's approach.
Truro Heights Pedestrian Bridge
The Truro Heights Pedestrian Bridge was planned for construction in 2015 beside the overpass at Exit 13, spanning over Highway 102 and forming a vital part of the new pedestrian trail linking Truro Heights to the recently constructed Rath Eastlink Community Center in Nova Scotia. Harbourside Engineering Consultants provided the structural bridge design services for this project, as well as site inspection services during construction. Harbourside also developed the innovative girder erection method which mitigated the disruptions to the Highway 102.
Shubenacadie River Bridge Replacements Project
The Shubenacadie River Bridges were in poor condition, so Harbourside Engineering Consultants produced detailed design and construction phasing drawings for the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. The project included a full assessment of the existing structures, and the resulting report presented three options to address the problems with the structures. Harbourside undertook the complete erection package for the replacement superstructures, the complete demolition design of the existing superstructures, and the detailed construction phasing.
Highway 104 Twinning (Part 2)
As a part of a major initiative by the NS Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal to twin Highway 104 through the town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Harbourside Engineering Consultants received the contract to design six major structures along the new alignment. Harbourside provided preliminary designs of various options for each structure and final designs with tender-ready documents. This monumental task was undertaken by various groups, working in conjunction as the Dexter Nova Alliance.
Indian Sluice Bridge Replacement
The new Indian Sluice Bridge is a three span, twin trapezoidal steel box girder bridge spanning over Indian Sluice Bay that replaces a century-old, deteriorated structure connecting the mainland to Surette’s Island in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. During preliminary designs, Harbourside identified significant concerns regarding the constructability of the parent design and completed a value engineering alternate design during the tender period. The new bridge was opened to traffic in June of 2014, nearly four months ahead of the original schedule.
Vimy Memorial Bridge Erection
The Vimy Memorial Bridge (formerly the Strandherd Armstrong Bridge) is a multiple space-truss arch bridge that spans across the Rideau River in Ontario. The design of the bridge was completed by Parsons, while the general contractor for the project was Horseshoe Hill Construction. Harbourside Engineering Consultants provided the erection engineering for the project, completing the structure in July of 2014. The innovative design and erection method, designed by Harbourside, won the 2014 Engineers Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Engineering.
Wagner Brook Bridge
In 2013, Harbourside worked with Alvan Construction to design the new Wagner Brook bridge in Queen’s County, Nova Scotia. The original tender called a solution requiring significant costly in-water work, so Harbourside worked with Alva Construction to develop an alternate design following project award that spanned the full water width with a single structure and perched the piled abutments out of the water. Along with a superior final product, the alternate design provided significant cost savings to our client.
Magaguadavic River Bridge Demolition
Harbourside Engineering Consultants was engaged to complete an engineered demolition plan to remove the center 40.5 m span of the existing Magaguadavic River Bridge close to Saint George, New Brunswick. Harbourside developed an innovative demolition technique where the structure was broken at mid-span to create two prop-cantilevered structures, which were then demolished by Dexter Construction with an excavator, located on the deck with a breaker attachment.
Highway 104 Twinning (Part 1)
The twinning of Highway 104 comprised of various projects for the roadway's modernization, as twinned highways are safer and more efficient than their single-lane counterparts. Harbourside Engineering Consultants completed the design of the twin overpass structures at the Trunk 7 intersection near St. Francis Xavier University, through Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and received the 2025 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Engineering resulting from work on this project.
Waverley Road Rapid Bridge Replacements
Waverley Road is a high traffic density artery for commuters traveling from Waverley to Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Harbourside Engineering Consultants was hired to develop and design panel bridge abutments for two separate structures: the Little Rawdon River Bridge and the Golden Brook Bridge. Harbourside accomplished the rapid replacement of the existing timber bridges using precast modular footings, beams seats and ballast walls. The existing timber bridges were each removed and replaced in two days.
Northport Bridge Replacement Alternate
Harbourside Engineering Consultants was hired by Alva Construction to provide an alternate design for the replacement of the Northport Bridge, spanning the Shinimicas River in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, along Route 366. The alternate design, completed by Harbourside, resulted in significant cost savings for the contractor as well as the NS Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal by reducing the number of girders in the structure from the parent design, as well as significantly reducing the number of piles in the abutments.