Within the busy Western University district, a bridge dating from 1931 carried Canadian Pacific Railway traffic over two lanes of vehicular traffic. The roadway is heavily congested, particularly at peak times, so it was determined it should be widened to four lanes.

To accomplish that, it was first necessary to replace the existing rail bridge to accommodate the wider road below. An Acrow bridge was rented and used as a detour to carry the rail traffic alongside the existing structure while the permanent bridge was constructed.

The modular steel bridge supplied was 70 feet (21.34m) long by 18 feet (5.5m) wide, with rails over a timber deck and a Cooper E80 load rating. The assembly and installation of the main components of the Acrow bridge took five days excluding the ties and rails. Due to site area access issues, the bridge was assembled nearby and then lifted into place using two cranes.

Acrow’s assembly-ready rental bridge proved the ideal solution for this project. A rental structure not only allows a fixed dollar amount to be allocated to the detour bridge, but also helps ensure critical projects like this stay on or ahead of schedule, important for both contractors and government entities alike.