Third Street Bridge (2020 – 2022)

Structure Rehabilitation

Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

Doug Dixon and Associates Inc. (DDA) was the Designer and the Contract Administrator of the rehabilitation of the Third St. Bridge over the Thames River in Chatham-Kent, ON. The project comprised of the following major tasks: (1) Removal of the existing superstructure consisting of through plate girder approach spans, and rolling lift type central bascule span; (2) Removal of the existing pier down to the water level; (3) Construction of new wall type piers; and (4) Construction of a three-span continuous slab-on-girder superstructure. Notable design and construction features of this project included (1) the use of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) reinforcing bars for deck reinforcing in order to reduce the dead load and control corrosion, (2) the use of Distributed Anode System (DAS) on abutment faces as a galvanic corrosion protection measure, (3) installation of stressed tension rods to stabilize the existing soil-filled approach retaining walls, (4) installation of Light Emitting Diode (LED) to the traffic barrier railing and to the bridge girders as an esthetic enhancement, (5) construction of stairs and sidewalks compliant of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and (6) shoreline protection with sheet piling, installing ‘cable concrete’ slope, and constructing reinforced concrete slope for this river that is prone to flooding and ice jams.