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.
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.
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.
Warren Brook Bridge Replacement
A call for proposals was issued in 2015 for the design of a replacement for the Warren Brook Bridge, spanning over the Warren Brook along the Cabot Trail near Ingonish Beach, Nova Scotia. After a preliminary design stage that evaluated several structure types and highway alignment options, Harbourside determined the optimal solution. The project objective was to remove and replace the existing bridge in an efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner, and to realign the approaches on each side of the bridge to meet current standards.
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.
Dicks Brook Bridge Replacement Approach
In 2014, the Dick’s Brook Bridge Replacement project marked the first of several bridge replacement projects in Gros Morne, Newfoundland. Harbourside Transportation Consultants completed the design of the vertical and horizontal alignments, from initial concept layouts through to detailed design and tender for the new approaches. Using detailed design and thorough evaluation, the new bridge is modernized and compliant to TAC guidelines, ensuring safe travel through Newfoundland’s most famous park.
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.
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.
Marie Bridge Alternate Design
The Marie Bridge, located in King’s County Prince Edward Island, is a bridge situated over a small watercourse feeding the St. Peter’s Bay. Working with Highfield Construction, Harbourside Engineering Consultants produced an alternate design for the new structure, featuring integral abutments and reducing the total piling requirements by half. Harbourside designed a temporary detour bridge and detailed the detour alignment around the site, enabling the work on the replacement structure to proceed without interference from traffic.
Macdonald Bridge Foundation Retrofit
As part of the deck replacement for the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, existing bridge elements remaining in service were analyzed for the new loading conditions. Due to the decrease in deck weight and revised wind loads, the analyses indicated a potential overturning instability in the Halifax Cable Bent foundations. Rock anchors were selected as a means of remediating this instability, which were designed by Harbourside Engineering based on the hold down requirements indicated by the numerical analysis.
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.
Fletcher Hebb Bridge Replacement
Dexter Construction was awarded the design-build contract for the demolition and replacement of the existing Fletcher Hebb Bridge in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, for the NS Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. Harbourside Engineering was hired by both Dexter and Shaw Precast to carry out the design of the new bridge and provide construction engineering services. The project was completed on time, on budget, and within the seven-day permitted road closure.
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.
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.
Canal Bridge Replacement
The Canal Bridge over Rights River in Antigonish is an important connector for the community. As part of the main street that bisects the town, it acts as an integral transportation artery. Unfortunately, by 2008, the aging structure needed to be replaced. Harbourside completed the design of the new bridge in 2009. Construction was then done during the 2010 and 2011 construction seasons.