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.
Caribou Ferry Terminal (Part 1): Harbour Planning
Public Works and Government Services Canada hired Harbourside Engineering Consultants to carry out preliminary engineering and planning for proposed upgrades to the existing harbour located in Caribou, Nova Scotia. These upgrades were intended to provide increased protection to vessels in the harbour, increased berthage, and increased service areas for off-loading operations. This project was conducted prior to the founding of Harbourside Geotechnical Consultants, which necessitated the assistance of additional subcontractors.
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.
Chéticamp River Bridge Replacement
The former Chéticamp River Bridge underwent a detailed inspection in 2006, resulting in a recommendation that the structure be completely replaced. In response, Public Works and Government Services Canada issued a call for proposals for the replacement of the bridge in 2008. Harbourside began design work on the new bridge in 2009 and created comprehensive three-dimensional finite element models for its construction. Harbourside was later awarded the 2011 CISC Atlantic Chapter Steel Design Award for Engineering Excellence for the design of this project.
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.
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.
Larry Uteck Interchange
The Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal sought to improve the interchange at Larry Uteck Boulevard between Exits 2 and 3 in Bedford. Harbourside Engineering Consultants provided the structural bridge design services for this project. A preliminary design report detailing three fully developed structural options, complete with capital cost estimates and a final recommendation, was provided to NSTIR. The project began in 2008, and construction was completed in the summer of 2010.
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.
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.
Highfield Park Pedestrian Bridge
Harbourside Engineering Consultants was engaged in 2009 by the Halifax Regional Municipality for a pedestrian crossing across Highway 111, from Highfield Park to the Burnside Industrial Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. A 45-meter single span steel plate girder pedestrian bridge was designed by Harbourside, located adjacent to the existing Burnside Drive underpass structure, allowing for a future widening of Highway 111 below from four lanes of traffic to six.
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.
Spanks River Bridge
In 2008, a single lane aging through truss bridge was damaged by a snowplough in rural Nova Scotia. The condition of the existing structure necessitated rapid replacement. Harbourside undertook the design of the new bridge structure, adjacent to the original bridge. The Spanks Bridge is now a 40-meter simple span steel plate girder bridge. Due to perched bedrock conditions on one side of the structure, semi-integral piled abutments were designed to support the three composite steel plate girder superstructures.
Davison Bridge
The Davison Bridge in Hants County, Nova Scotia, was the first project to be fully completed by Harbourside Engineering Consultants after its founding in 2008. Dexter Construction requested that Harbourside complete a preliminary design of an alternate bridge design, in attempt to minimize the required size of the abutments. Harbourside re-designed the Davison structure, allowing Dexter to gain approval of the alternate from NS Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. The alternate design and construction were completed within the original construction schedule.
Moriah Bridges Self Launching Bridge Erection
Solel Boneh, an Isreal-based contractor, awarded the design of a self-launching erection gantry to CBCL Limited in association with Tony Gee International to erect three multi-span precast segmental concrete box girder bridges near Jerusalem, Isreal. Robbie Fraser, who would found Harbourside Engineering lead the design. This resulted in significant savings on steel weight and therefore reduced costs as well as construction loads on the partially constructed bridge. Completed in January 2004, the innovative and complex gantry design won the 2007 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Engineering Excellence.
Midgell Bridge Replacement
While working for another consultant in 2006, the principals of Harbourside Engineering Consultants designed a replacement bridge over the Midgell River in King’s County, Prince Edward Island. Harbourside’s deliverables included tender and construction documents for the new bridge, as well as for the temporary supports, construction phasing, and horizontal launch details. Completing the replacement in only two days with minimal highway closures ensured that this main thoroughfare was kept active and traffic was impacted as little as possible.