Vancouver's New Port Mann Bridge: 10-lanes, $3-billion

[VoltAmps]

The surface won't even be paved with asphalt how cheap can you get? The surface of the bridge deck is pathetic like the Pitt River Bridge

[Plumber73]

Originally Posted by VoltAmps

The surface won't even be paved with asphalt how cheap can you get? The surface of the bridge deck is pathetic like the Pitt River Bridge

About 3 billion dollars cheap? Asphalt as opposed to concrete? Asphalt is apparently cheaper and less durable, and you have to repave it over the long haul. Something you'd want to try and avoid on a major bridge...

[VoltAmps]

Originally Posted by Plumber73

About 3 billion dollars cheap? Asphalt as opposed to concrete? Asphalt is apparently cheaper and less durable, and you have to repave it over the long haul. Something you'd want to try and avoid on a major bridge...

First off the concrete they use is crap. Its got some sort of weather treated rubber compound in it. Will it last a long time? Yes. Will it provide the smoothest ride? No.

Asphalt is less durable but it can be repaved. And provides a much better ride. Look at all the new modern bridges in this section. They're all paved with asphalt in the bridge deck. Why Vancouver decides to go the other route is beyond me

[Plumber73]

Originally Posted by VoltAmps

First off the concrete they use is crap. Its got some sort of weather treated rubber compound in it. Will it last a long time? Yes. Will it provide the smoothest ride? No.

Asphalt is less durable but it can be repaved. And provides a much better ride. Look at all the new modern bridges in this section. They're all paved with asphalt in the bridge deck. Why Vancouver decides to go the other route is beyond me

Well, they must have had a good reason if the concrete surface is more costly... unlike you stated. I think it's a personal preference thing. Some people rave about highways surfaced with concrete, others like the asphalt. I've never had any problems driving over Vancouvers newer bridges. I kinda think it's refreshing to actually not drive on asphalt for a change.

[DukeNukem]

Originally Posted by VoltAmps

First off the concrete they use is crap. Its got some sort of weather treated rubber compound in it. Will it last a long time? Yes. Will it provide the smoothest ride? No.

Asphalt is less durable but it can be repaved. And provides a much better ride. Look at all the new modern bridges in this section. They're all paved with asphalt in the bridge deck. Why Vancouver decides to go the other route is beyond me

Concrete lasts about 40 to 50 years while asphalt lasts 10-15 years maximum. with the extremely humid weather and hot summers, I bet you that that asphalt will start to crumble in 1 1/2-2 years of time. Plus concrete provides better friction for the tires thus making cars more fuel efficient. It might not provide the smoothness you're looking for but it is a very wise choice for durability.

[VoltAmps]

Originally Posted by DukeNukem

Concrete lasts about 40 to 50 years while asphalt lasts 10-15 years maximum. with the extremely humid weather and hot summers, I bet you that that asphalt will start to crumble in 1 1/2-2 years of time. Plus concrete provides better friction for the tires thus making cars more fuel efficient. It might not provide the smoothness you're looking for but it is a very wise choice for durability.

Then why doesn't Vancouver choose to make any of its roads concrete?

I'm not an opponent of concrete. I think it makes a great road surface.

But there are differences in the concrete being used.

Bad concrete: http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=maple+r...90.01,,0,11.01

Good Concrete:http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=...2,84.99,,0,3.6

See the difference?

[Plumber73]

Phone up an engineer if it really concerns you. Vancouver is not so different than the rest of the world when it comes to building roads. Really!

[VoltAmps]

Doesn't concern me. I just think its funny how Vancouver uses asphalt on all its roads but not the bridge deck. Why? Because they're going the cheap route.

[Plumber73]

Originally Posted by VoltAmps

Doesn't concern me. I just think its funny how Vancouver uses asphalt on all its roads but not the bridge deck. Why? Because they're going the cheap route.

I don't know what to say. Ok? Almost all roads are paved with asphalt. Not just in Vancouver, but the world. In the US, it's like 96%. Isn't it funny how the US uses asphalt on all its roads except for that 4%? NowhatImsayin? So I don't really follow you. There are probably structural, as well as maintenance reasons for using a concrete surface on a cable-stayed bridge. I encourage you to do some of your own research, or better yet, talk to a structural engineer.

[Alex MacKinnon]

I'm not a structural engineer, but I am an engineer. I'd put money on it being generally cheaper and lighter for the same utility. They want this bridge to be cheap as far as maintenance goes, since it's already a monster compared to pretty much every other structure we've got in BC.

The use of asphalt generally means a lot less resistance to stresses. It's not a very strong material compared to reinforced concrete. When you have an elevated structure like a bridge deck you have a lot less thermal mass, so you get a lot more of a swing in temperature on a given day. Hence the frost warnings of bridge decks. When the temperature varies like that you get thermal stresses/strains in the road surface which ultimately will turn even the solidest of rocks to pulp given enough time. Using concrete simply cuts down on the number of potholes and cracks that need repair.

I've worked on the highway doing paint work on this project, and even the smallest bit of maintenance becomes a pain when you need to put in several km of closures to fix or change minor details.

[officedweller]

Webcam pic from today:



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[officedweller]

The website has been updated with a new look - and the webcams are now MoT webcams - including one out in Langley.

There is a grandview cam - but it looks like all of the panoramas are gone. Click webcams and navigate at the top of the screen:

http://www.pmh1project.com/Pages/default.aspx

From the webcam, hosted on imageshack:

http://imageshack.us/g/440/portmannnorthportmannso.jpg/














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[Vancouver-right]

To the douchey-sounding complainer who couldn't be bothered to do less than one minutes of research: http://www.pmh1project.com/in-your-c...s/default.aspx

And I'll make it real easy for you (i used bold for your reading comprehension):
"Port Mann Bridge

The new Port Mann Bridge will be a single 10-lane span, with three through-lanes in each direction and two lanes in each direction dedicated for local access to and from Surrey and Coquitlam. Once the new bridge is built, the existing five-lane crossing will be removed.

The new Port Mann Bridge will consist of three key sections:

- Cable‐stayed main bridge across the Fraser River (850 metres). This portion will be constructed using steel girders which support pre‐cast concrete deck panels, and will have an asphalt road surface. This section of the bridge will be supported by two centre pylons or towers, rising 160 metres from the water, and can be divided into the:
-- The main span (470 metres)
-- The south span (190 metres)
-- The north span (190 metres)
- South approach, Surrey (350 metres) ‐ constructed using 327 pre‐cast concrete sections with an asphalt road surface.
- North approach, Coquitlam (820 metres) ‐ constructed using 831 pre‐cast concrete sections with an asphalt road surface."

I personally don't care what they use, but I hope this settles this little issue.

D.

[Metro One]

He is actually a troll that has been banned on here before and has been banned at least twice from SSP. It does not matter what type of bridge or highway project is being built in BC, he will find some bizarre detail and / or flaw to complain about and act as if it is a horrid piece of infrastructure. One of his funniest comments is that he started to complain that the pillars for the new Port Mann approaches were already "water stained" and some how this equalled to crappy BC highways! hahah

[giovani kun]

not much to go now good progress

[officedweller]

Webcam pics from today:

Girder is up across TCH for Lougheed to eastbound TCH ramp:

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[officedweller]

Posted by SFUVancouver at SSP:

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

I had these emailed to me. It was one of those forward-forward-forward emails, so I haven't a clue who took them. Mods, it's your call.

And a gantry malfunction dropped a precast segment into the river (expect a project delay):

http://www.tricitynews.com/breaking_news/139102139.html

[eltodesukane]

Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Project



http://www.pmh1project.com/Construct...n%20Update.pdf
http://www.pmh1project.com/closures-...nn-Bridge.aspx
Any more recent update?

Google Earth view:

[officedweller]

Couple of pics from the webcams today (the Cape Horn cam is back up, but does not show the new Lougheed Overpass).


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[officedweller]

Posted by whatnext on SSP:

Originally Posted by whatnext

Almost there:



My photo, May 7, inbound from EWR.