Nick MacEachern
Nick MacEachern P.Eng.
Partner, Senior Structural Engineer
Primary Office: Stoney Creek, Ontario
Mr. MacEachern is a Professional Structural Engineer with 18 years of design experience. He is proficient in structural analysis and design and the inspection of various types of marine, bridge and other heavy civil structures. He is proficient with the Ontario Structures Inspection Manual (OSIM) and its inspection and reporting procedures. He has contributed to a variety of large and small-scale projects involving structural analysis, design and inspections/ studies of bridge and wharf structures. He is responsible for project management, preliminary and detailed structural analysis/design, construction cost estimates, preparation of technical specifications, preparation of technical design and inspection reports.
Nick’s Projects
The Boathouse is a popular summertime location for the citizens of Guelph, Ontario. In 2024, Harbourside was tasked with the rehabilitation of its retaining wall adjacent to the Speed River. The project included additional design services to rejuvenate the surrounding area as well. In 2026 the project won the OPWA award for structures under $2-million.
The original Bay of Quinte Skyway Bridge was constructed in 1967. Though it had received some rehabilitation work in the 90s, it had been nearly 30 years since its last major maintenance project. Harbourside was hired to develop and design the erection sequence, erection methods, and temporary works. Early in its development, this project would earn the 2019 CISC Award of Merit in the category of Bridges.
The original Victoria Bridge, serving as the main connection between Old South and downtown London via Ridout street over the Thames River in Ontario, needed replacement. E.S. Fox Limited (ESF) was awarded the construction project and engaged Harbourside to provide erection and construction engineering services. The replacement of the bridge involved the removal of the two-span bridge and the construction of a twin-rib arch supporting structure along Ridout Street South. In 2024, the Victoria Bridge won the CISC steel design award for engineering excellence in Ontario.
Harbourside Engineering Consultants was retained by the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) to complete a visual inspection program to aid their board assess several wharf structures within the Port of Oshawa. At a later date, Harbourside was awarded the contract to complete the detailed design and drawings for the proposed repairs of the existing wharf structures.
In early 2018, Harbourside was approached by the Hamilton Waterfront Trust (HWT), to complete structural engineering design work for upgrades to the existing Hamilton Waterfront Piers 5, 6 & 7. For the majority of the near 1 km of marine wall to be rehabilitated, steel sheets were to be embedded into the existing clays with a tie & waler system for support at the top.
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.
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.
The Burgoyne bridge is one of three crossings that span Twelve Mile Creek. It is an important transportation artery for the Niagara area, Ontario. By 2010, it was recommended that the bridge be replaced, and Harbourside was contacted by Pomerleau and Structal as a subconsultant to handle construction phasing and unique launch and design approaches, which began in 2014. After completion in 2016, Harbourside was awarded the Award of Excellence at the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards Gala for the project in 2017.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Awards and Recognition
News and Updates
Harbourside Engineering, along with the City of Guelph, and Beton Construction, were awarded a 2025 Project of the Year Award for their work on the Boathouse Retaining Wall in Guelph, Ontario by the OPWA. The Award Luncheon happened on May 13th, 2026.
