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.
Barrack Point Potash Terminal Facility Condition Assessment
Harbourside was engaged by the Port of Saint John to assess the Barrack Point Potash Terminal Facility’s infrastructure in Saint John, New Brunswick. This investigation was to evaluate the condition of the structures throughout the facility, to estimate their remaining service life, and to recommend maintenance or rehabilitation work to extend the service life of the facility. After the condition assessment, Harbourside developed a conceptual 25-year Maintenance Plan to extend the service life of the facility to 2048.
Botsford Launching Ramp Replacement
Harbourside Engineering Consultants was hired by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Small Craft Harbours to design a replacement for the deteriorated launching ramp at Botsford Wharf in Murray Corner, New Brunswick. Harbourside’s scope of services included pre-design services, consisting of an initial site assessment and preliminary engineering design options, a detailed engineering design of the launching ramp replacement, and the onsite oversight of construction. The project was completed in the spring of 2024.
Halifax Harbour Bridges : Annual Inspections
Harbourside Engineering Consultants has completed annual structural inspections of both the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge and the A. Murray MacKay Bridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, owned and operated by Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB), from 2010 to present. As the two main connectors between peninsular Halifax and the city of Dartmouth, the municipality is dependent on the continued operations of both bridges. Inspection reporting includes element condition, defect identification, and recommended maintenance.
Port of Charlottetown Cruise Berth Expansion
The Port of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, has seen significant growth in the cruise ship business and as a result, the Charlottetown Harbour Authority Inc. proceeded with an expansion of the facility. Harbourside worked collaboratively with the CHAI throughout a feasibility study to determine how best to provide a second berthing face for their main industries. This expansion ensures that Charlottetown’s tourism industry can continue to flourish despite environmental and economic change.
Fort York Pedestrian Bridge
Dufferin Construction was awarded a design-build contract for the design and construction of two pedestrian bridges in Ontario, providing a link between Stanley Park and the Western area of Fort York grounds. ES Fox was subsequently awarded the contract for the bridge steel superstructure erections, retaining Harbourside to complete the erection engineering. Construction began in 2015 and was completed in 2019, and Harbourside was awarded the Award for Excellence in Bridge Projects from the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction.
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.
Bedford By-Pass Girder Repair
The Bedford By-Pass Bridge Structure near Halifax, Nova Scotia, sustained structural damage in 2012 from a vehicular impact. In 2016, NSTIR awarded the contract for rehabilitation to Cherubini Metal Works, who contacted Harbourside to provide structural engineering services for the rehabilitation of the damaged portion of the bridge. Harbourside Engineering completed a condition assessment, developed a girder repair procedure that minimized impact to traffic on Highway 102 and the Bedford By-Pass, and provided detailed phasing drawings outlining the girder repair procedure to the contractor.
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.
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.
Gateway Bridge Inspection Program
In 2011, Gateway Operations began an Operation, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation (OMR) program for the four-lane Route 1 highway in New Brunswick. Part of this program requires the bi-annual inspection of 245 structural assets. Starting in 2014, Harbourside Engineering Consultants has been responsible for the biennial inspections of these structures. This substantial stretch of highway is one of the most important corridors in the province, connecting Canada to the United States, and ending in an interchange with the Trans-Canada Highway.
Souris Marine Terminal
The Souris Harbour Authority required engineering and consultation and analysis services in 2012 to evaluate the operations and conditions surrounding the Souris Marine Terminal on Prince Edward Island. Harbourside provided reviews and analyses of the site, permitting modernizations and infrastructure improvements, with the main challenge being the extension of service life for the existing infrastructure. In addition, upgrades to the facility may allow for larger vessels to use the terminal, making it a more versatile facility overall.
Peake’s Quay Marina Retaining Wall Repairs
The Peake’s Quay Marina Retaining Wall consists of steel H piles with tie backs to concrete deadman anchors. The water side flanges of the H piles suffered corrosion and abrasion in the tidal zone, so Harbourside Engineering Consultants was approached by the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation to provide repair details for the water side face of the piles. The maintenance and repairs of these retaining walls ensures that the quay remains in operations and improves the overall safety profile of the area in downtown Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
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.
Little Bras d’Or Cofferdam, Trestle and Bridge Replacement
The Little Bras D’Or bridge acts as the only non-load related link to the Newfoundland ferry in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, and was slated for replacement in 2010. Following the development of the Little Bras D’Or Cofferdam and Trestle, Harbourside was involved with the replacement of the existing bridge structure. The bridge, located on Highway 105 in Cape Breton County, is a two span twin trapezoidal steel box girder bridge spanning over St. Andrew’s Channel, and it is integral to keep Newfoundland and Nova Scotia connected.
Skinners Pond Breakwater Repairs
Harbourside was engaged by Public Works and Government Services Canada to develop the concept and to complete the detailed design of repairs to the bulkhead breakwater structure at the Skinner’s Pond Facility, Prince Edward Island, which had severely deteriorated by 2011. The preliminary phase of the work included the assessment of the condition and life expectancy of the existing structure, and Phase II included the detailed design of a new wharf and breakwater design that would meet the required design life and loading requirements of the facility.
PEITIR Bridge Inspection Program
Prince Edward Island Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal adopted a database program called the PEI Bridge Management System (BMS) in 2008, which requires the inspection of all bridges in the system bi-annually. It allows the BMS to highlight a timeline of when each individual structure will require maintenance, major rehabilitation, or replacement. Since 2010, Harbourside Engineering Consultants has been responsible for the detailed inspection of approximately 40 structures bi-annually for PEITIR.
Ramp 9 Structure Demolition and Overload Analysis, Halifax Approach
The Ramp 9 Structure Demolition and Overload Analysis project entailed the detailed demolition design of a post-tensioned concrete box structure in the north end of Halifax, Nova Scotia, adjacent to the MacKay Bridge. Harbourside Engineering Consultants developed two systems to demolish the structure: one that involved braced pile bents to support the structure during demo from the ground, and one for the spans crossing over the roads and bridges below. Harbourside Engineering also conducted an overload review, including a full structural analysis of the structure.
Tufts Cove Cooling Water Intake Structure, Floating Analysis
Dexter Construction engaged Harbourside Engineering Consultants in 2009 as part of a circulating water improvement at Nova Scotia Power’s Tufts Cove site in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Harbourside conducted a floating analysis of the large concrete intake structure that was fabricated on the Halifax side of the Harbour but needed to be floated into position at the Tufts Cove site on the Dartmouth. Tufts Cove provides essential power throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Alternate Dock Facility Viaduct, Marine Atlantic
The Alternate Dock Facility Viaduct at Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland, was completed while the principals of Harbourside were still employed at CBCL Limited, from 2008 to 2009. Project staging and phasing was an important aspect of the design due to the tight site, existing infrastructure, and the need to keep the adjacent Gulf Span Dock operational throughout construction. The project was completed on-time and on-budget with no disruption to the operation of the ferry facility, including the Gulf Span Dock.