Golden Ears Bridge

Project Details

  • Client: Southcoast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink)
  • Location: Vancouver, Canada
  • Value: $808 Million Canadian Dollars
  • Length: 25 Km
  • Bridges: 17 including the main river bridge totaling 3,740 m of bridge length

Project Description

CH2M is a partner in Golden Crossing Constructors, a design-build joint venture (JV) with Bilfinger Berger Canada, which delivered a new crossing of the Fraser River east of Vancouver, BC, in May 2009 and an extensive network of approach structures and access roadways. CH2M contributed to the design and construction of a new 968-m crossing of the Fraser River. The project has over 50,000 square-meters of additional bridge structures designed with significant repetition of elements to facilitate construction. The total project is valued at INR3,394 crore.

The Golden Ears Bridge connects the Township of Langley and the City of Surrey to the District of Maple Ridge and the District of Pitt Meadows, providing much needed north-south capacity to meet travel demand. The project includes the 6 lane bridge across the Fraser River, controlled access arterial roads connecting the bridge to the existing road network on both sides of the Fraser River, and municipal road upgrades to improve traffic flows and facilitate the integration of the new crossing into the existing road network. The project was designed and constructed under a fast-track, design-build (DB) schedule, involving complex construction phasing to coordinate work in multiple locations along a 16-km-long project area.

The signature cable-stay bridge is a composite steel extrados superstructure founded on four in-river piers and will be the longest of its type in North America. It accommodates two navigational channels in the Fraser River. Other project scope elements include:

  • 13 km of 2, 4, and 6 lanes of urban arterial roads and highway construction
  • 12 km of local street reconstruction, requiring extensive maintenance of traffic planning
  • 17 bridges, including the main river bridge totaling 3,740 m of bridge length
  • Project construction through four different municipalities
  • Utility relocations for five different utilities, involving up to 200 agencies