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.
Carter’s Point Wharf 410 Reconstruction
Carter’s Point Wharf was an existing deteriorating structure requiring replacement, so Harbourside Engineering was hired by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Small Craft Harbours, to design the demolition and reconstruction work with a berlin wall structure. The project also included the engineering design and construction of a new launching ramp and containment cell to store the dredge materials created during construction. The project’s design phase was completed in 2023, with construction wrapping up in 2025.
Old Champlain Bridge Deconstruction
Harbourside Engineering was named as Deconstruction Engineers for the Old Champlain Bridge, which joined Brossard to Montréal, Québec, and spanned the active St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation Channel as the busiest vehicular bridge in Canada. Reports indicated hazards related to the structure of the bridge, with partial or complete collapse being a legitimate risk. Its demolition ensured the safety of Québec residents, and Harbourside was awarded the 2023 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Engineering as a result of this project.
Groundhog River Bridge Demolition
When the former Groundhog River Bridge, a vital piece of infrastructure on the Trans-Canada Highway in Fauquier, Ontario, approached the end of its service life, Harbourside was contracted in 2021 by Facca Incorporated to provide alternative options for demolition. Harbourside proposed a de-launch methodology that allowed for de-launch of the bridge superstructure on the approaches. Harbourside conducted a full analysis of the bridge during all phases of the demolition, as well as a full floating stability analysis for the barges supporting the bridge.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sangster Bridge Demolition
Harbourside worked with Dexter Construction on the demolition of the Sangster Bridge in Hants County, Nova Scotia, in 2010. The original demolition plan (not provided by Harbourside) proposed a temporary in-water support and lifted the bridge out in two sections due to the limited crane sizes available. Harbourside instead developed a demolition plan that supported one end of the bridge on modular barge units, allowing the bridge to be floated to one approach and demolished in sections on land.
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.
Demolition of Fairview Overpass
Hired by Dexter Construction in 2009, Harbourside developed the full demolition design and phasing for the existing south structure of the Fairview Overpass in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Harbourside’s demolition method involved removing the deck and interior diaphragms from the top of the structure, while avoiding a potential overload in the corbel areas. It also limited closures and delays on both roads, evoking overwhelmingly positive public sentiment throughout the actual demolition.