Coldstream Concrete Spans Monora Creek in Orangeville, Ontario

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The Town of Orangeville, northwest of Toronto, was expanding one of its main arterial roads, Hansen Boulevard. As a part of this expansion, Hansen Boulevard would need to span the Monora Creek.

Greck and Associate Limited, together with Entuitive Consulting Engineers, specified a precast open bottom arch concrete culvert for the project. Coldstream Concrete proposed using an alternate precast rigid frame structure to meet the exact design objectives as the originally specified arch structure. Coldstream Concrete was also prepared to modify its production rate to meet the client’s needs and schedule.

Coldstream Concrete, in conjunction with L.S. Wong and Associates, provided the required design for the structure. The final precast structure was composed of 26 units with a span of 12.81 m and a rise of 2.76 m. Each of the elements weighed 39 metric tonnes. The total run length of the structure was 33.84 m. Coldstream Concrete’s facility, located near Ilderton, Ontario, was able to manufacture each of the large 26 units in accordance with the requirements of OPSS 912 between August 10th and September 15th, 2022. This presented several challenges as the weather temperatures were up to the mid-30s (°C) before mixed during that time, and each unit required a four day moist cure immediately following fabrication. Internal temperature control of the 0.5 m to 0.7 m thick precast units was critical, requiring the internal
temperature not to exceed 65°C during production and the moist curing period.

Coordination between Coldstream Concrete and the general contractor was critical for the installation. The structure was installed in four days – January 16 to January 20, 2023.

Given the availability of cold weather grouting products, the structure was completely installed in four days with no impact from January weather conditions.

As seen in the picture above, shim packs are used in the footing keyway to ensure each three-sided element is placed at the proper level and allow for a gap between the precast concrete culvert legs and the footings for the cold-weather grout to flow. Once all the pieces were placed, the keyway is filled with cold-weather grout, which flows under each leg and fills the keyway to lock in the structure.

The cold-weather grout does not require heating or hoarding, allowing the structure to be utilized for construction traffic the next day.

The use of a precast structure allowed for the project to be completed on time and have the bridge in use on schedule. Coldstream Concrete provided manufacturing expertise, engineering support and logistical coordination in helping to make this project a success.

Brian Greck, P. Eng.
Founder/Principal
Greck & Associates Ltd.
Precast Producer: Coldstream Concrete Ltd.