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.
North Lake Wharf Replacement
The North Lake Wharf Replacement in Prince Edward Island focused on the replacement of Structure 426P when, in 2014, the existing wharf was considered unsafe for use. Harbourside Engineering Consultants was hired by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Small Craft Harbours to design emergency repairs for the existing timber marginal wharf. After the completion of the emergency repairs, Harbourside was then awarded the design of a replacement structure. The project’s design phase wrapped up in 2015, and construction completed in 2017.
Torbay Pedestrian Safety Study
With the rapid growth it experienced over the past few years, the Town of Torbay, Newfoundland, needed to ensure the Town had suitable transportation infrastructure. This included sidewalks, trail systems, and integrated pedestrian crossings throughout the town. In 2015, Harbourside Transportation Consultants was retained by the Town of Torbay to carry out a pedestrian safety review. The review became a key element for the Town in the provision of a sustainable and safe transportation system for its residents.
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.
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.
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.
Caribou Ferry Terminal (Part 2): Repairs and Upgrades
Harbourside completed an assessment of the existing condition of a variety of marine structures at the Caribou Ferry Terminal, an important access point between Prince Edward Island and the mainland in Caribou, Nova Scotia. Harbourside oversaw the assessment of various structures, including the steel sheet pile (SSP) walls, SSP caissons, and concrete cribs. Following the assessment, Harbourside Engineering completed repair prioritization and initial cost estimates for a variety of repairs required around the facility.
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.