Approximately 15 year-round homeowners of Mink Lake, in the Municipality of Hastings Highlands, ON, weren’t looking forward to being displaced from their homes for a month during a pre-Christmas bridge replacement — but that was their only viable option.

With the existing bridge being the only connection, the Municipality compensated residents to live away from home while providing fire and security services in their absence. With all of these added costs and upheaval, time was of the essence for the bridge replacement.

Project completed a week ahead of schedule

Thankfully, the whole project went quicker than planned; the new Big R Bridge with Bolt-A-Bin Abutments went in like clockwork, and the residents were back in their homes a week earlier than expected.

Bolt-A-Bin Abutments saved time and money

To minimize road closure time and environmental impact, the structure was designed to span the existing abutments and stay back from the river. AIL supplied a set of Bolt-A-Bin Abutments that were assembled on-site, then lowered into position and compacted, behind the existing gabion basket headwalls.

The modular structure was supplied in four sections, which were quickly assembled and placed on the compacted abutments with precast sills and integrated bearing plate assemblies.

We worked closely with the owner, consultant and contractor to ensure that orders would be placed in time to allow for design, manufacturing and deliveries. The contractor had previously installed a Big R Bridge and knew what had to be done to get the project completed in a timely and efficient manner. They supplied material to the site in advance and had back-up machinery on both sides of the river. 

Project-at-a-glance:

Project Name: Dam Road Bridge, Mink Lake
Location: Northwest of Bancroft, ON
Owner: Municipality of Hastings Highlands
Consultant: Genivar
Contractor: Crains’ Construction
Type of Product/Application: Big R Bridge (Modular Vehicular) and Bolt-A-Bin Abutments
Dimensions: Length 24.38 m, Width 4.2 m clear between rails
Installation time: Three weeks, including abutments (start to finish)