GUELPH, ON
Emma to Earl Street Pedestrian Bridge
The Emma Street to Earl Street Pedestrian Bridge closed a gap in Guelph’s active transportation system.
The City of Guelph engaged Entuitive as Prime Consultant and Structural Engineer to include a value engineering analysis as an integral element of preliminary and detailed designs that achieved community-oriented objectives, stayed within a lean budget, and adhered to a strict schedule.
The Emma Street to Earl Street Pedestrian Bridge provides an 81-metre pedestrian and cycling bridge that connects across the bucolic Speed River Valley in Guelph. Close collaboration with the City and a community consultation helped to achieve a balance of economy and elegance while protecting the river ecosystem.
The project scope focused mostly on the delivery of both preliminary and detailed designs of a new pedestrian crossing over the Speed River in the City of Guelph. Our design team utilized a value engineering workshop with the client and project stakeholder to develop an improved concept from the original environmental assessment. This eliminated a deflection in the alignment of the final design, providing improved sight lines based on principles of Criminal Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).
As the Prime Consultant, Entuitive engaged with the City and project stakeholders deliver a durable, accessible, and context‑sensitive solution. The structure consists of parallel steel plate girders shaped to efficiently follow the flow of forces, including a unique stainless steel hinge at the midspan field splice, where the girders transition from below to above deck level. The deck is formed from precast concrete panels, which facilitated rapid installation under the strict schedule.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
CLIENT
City of Guelph
ARCHITECT
Montgomery Sisam
OUR ROLE(S)
Construction Engineering Consultant
SIZE
Span: 81 m
BUDGET
$2.5M
MARKET (OFFICE)
TORONTO
Challenge One
A significant challenge for the project was a hard completion deadline, as the bridge creates an active transportation alternate route allowing full closure for rehabilitation of an adjacent road bridge.
Solution One
The planned rehabilitation of a nearby road bridge necessitated an on-time opening of the Emma-Earl Bridge to support pedestrian and cycling traffic with an alternative active transportation route. Our construction engineering experience allowed us to develop a unique design without creating schedule and budget risks. This avoided the need for a standard prefab truss design that would have resulted in less efficient material use and an inferior aesthetic design.
Challenge Two
The project aimed to minimize short-term disruption during construction while contributing to the long-term ecological benefit of the Speed River.
Solution Two
To limit impacts on vegetation and habitat, the bridge alignment and structural concept were carefully refined. This included following an existing hydro corridor to reduce disturbance. Pier and abutment foundations were designed as caissons to limit the extents of excavation required during construction, minimizing the impact on the river’s banks and floodplain. Environmental mitigation measures were also implemented, including targeted planting to support restoration along the river corridor.
