Construction of a railway bridge crossing over Highway 132 at Val-Brillant in Mont-Joli

The project involves a complex railway structure comprising a single 67-metre span with a 25˚ slope on a rigid reinforced-concrete framework.

Canadian National (CN) retained the professional services of CIMA+ for the construction of a railway bridge crossing over Highway 132 at Val-Brillant.

This mandate is an integral part of a multidisciplinary project involving CN, the Ministère and other consulting-engineering firms within the context of a comprehensive Highway 132 bypass project in Gaspésie.

Our team started with the preliminary design study to confirm the structural feasibility of the option selected by the client for constructing a reinforced-concrete railway bridge while developing an innovative architectural design with the support of the client’s architectural subcontractor. CIMA+ then prepared the drawings and specifications for construction of the proposed installations and provided work supervision on the construction site.

The deck of the new structure is a slab type supported by a rigid framework of reinforced concrete. The design of the railway bridge required significant structural optimization in order to respect the existing clearance and profile constraints related to Highway 132 and the slenderness criteria dictated by the architectural design. The foundation elements and supporting walls of the bridge rest directly on the bedrock. Our team was also involved in the design of the temporary detour of the railway over a distance of close to 1,000 metres, and reconstruction of the railway to the right of the proposed installation without modifying the existing profile of the railway in any way.

Specific characteristics of the project

  • Temporary detour of the railway and lifting of the proposed railway
  • Design of a railway bridge with a single 67-metre span on a rigid reinforced-concrete framework
  • Railway bridge with a 25˚ slope
  • Optimization of the bridge framework requiring advanced structural analysis
  • Management of excavated material (significant quantity of bedrock to be excavated)
  • Highway and rail traffic control
  • Design executed in compliance with applicable AREMA railway standards and the specific requirements of CN and the MTQ
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