16th Ave Over Barlow Trail Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation of a key Calgary bridge to improve safety and extend service life by 35 years.
Client: City of Calgary
Location: Calgary, AB
Project Type: Bridges – Bridge Rehabilitation Design
About This Project
The 16th Avenue NE over Barlow Trail Bridge is a critical transportation link within Calgary’s urban roadway network, carrying approximately 75,000 vehicles per day along the TransCanada Highway corridor. Detailed inspections and testing identified deterioration caused by chloride-induced corrosion, leaking deck joints, roadway splash, and aging bridge components that threatened the long-term durability of the structure. Without intervention, key structural elements were projected to reach critical service-life thresholds well before the City’s desired 35-year extension target.
To address these challenges, ISL completed a comprehensive rehabilitation program that combined structural repairs, durability enhancements, and innovative construction staging. The team performed condition assessments, chloride concentration testing, service-life modelling, and load evaluations to understand the extent and causes of deterioration and develop targeted rehabilitation solutions. Rehabilitation measures included repairs to deteriorated girders and bridge components, carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) strengthening, concrete deck overlay, upgraded TL-4 barrier protection, improved drainage details, and deck joint replacement designed to address the root causes of ongoing deterioration.
A key project challenge was maintaining traffic on this heavily travelled corridor throughout construction. ISL developed a staged construction and median crossover strategy that allowed rehabilitation work to proceed while minimizing impacts to motorists and maintaining safe traffic operations.
The completed rehabilitation restored structural performance, improved safety, reduced future maintenance requirements, and extended the bridge’s service life by approximately 35 years, preserving a critical transportation asset for decades to come.
Original Bridge
Completed
Key Features
- Service-life modelling and durability assessments to support a 35-year rehabilitation strategy
- Investigation of chloride-induced corrosion and deterioration mechanisms affecting critical bridge components
- Innovative staged construction and median crossover design to maintain traffic during rehabilitation
- Rehabilitation strategy focused on addressing root causes of deterioration, including leaking joints and drainage deficiencies
- Traffic management planning for a corridor carrying approximately 75,000 vehicles daily