Kicking Horse Park Bridge

High in the rugged Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, an impressive bridge was built by KWH in the Kicking Horse Pass by incremental launch method. It is the first curved plate girder bridge erected in North America using this method. It crosses the Kicking Horse River at heights up to 90 metres above the canyon floor. The longest span is 80 meters and the total length is 405 meters.

Our subsidiary Somerset Engineering provided all erection analysis and designed an automated launch system for this project that KWH built in house. Features include a launch system using four 60T launching rams with 2m stroke, flange and wedge clamps, guide systems at piers and 'nose girders'. The hydraulic system was controlled by a PLC system (programmable logic controller).

One half of the bridge was launched at a time with maximum weight pushed of 1,350 tonnes up a 5% slope. The girders were launched in pairs from one side and pushed uphill, adding girders one by one as it was moved ahead.

This bridge has won many engineering awards for its accomplishments. With this system, the curved girders were launched over the busy Trans-Canada Highway and Canadian Pacific Railway, minimizing the public and environmental impact. The project was successfully completed within seven months.