Extension of Highway 19 – Between the City of Laval and Bois-des-Filion

Extension of Highway 19 – Between the City of Laval and Bois-des-Filion, 05-2023 to 12-2024 | STRUCTURE P-18672

Issam Bekkali, Eng. : Engineering Director and Lead Designer for Launch Method and Temporary Structures.

Bridge Construction by Launching:

  • The procedure and steps of the launching process;
  • The kinematics of the launching process;
  • Modeling of the launching steps, considering the geometry and camber of the girders, including incremental launch analysis using ADA software (design and validation of the digital model);
  • Automated parallel analysis of results in Excel and Mathcad format;
  • Design and validation of the launching nose geometry;
  • Validation of stress constraints in the permanent structure;
  • Validation of cantilever deflections;
  • Validation of pressure on different supports;

Plans and erection details for the launching process, including all assembly sequences and advancements, including:

  • The launching steps;
  • The launching area;
  • Temporary supports in the launching area;
  • Type of foundation for temporary supports, including ground reactions;
  • Temporary counterweights;
  • Lifting equipment, including cranes;
  • Details of lifting points and lifting brackets;
  • All roller systems at critical phases and at one-tenth of the span, as well as the launching nose.

The bridge launching project on Highway 19 marks a groundbreaking technical advancement in a field where launching methods have been used for centuries. However, the technique employed for the Highway 19 launch, never before implemented anywhere in the world, aims to minimize environmental impact while optimizing productivity and reducing frictional forces during the launch, as well as protecting the bottom flange coating.

The project’s goal was to achieve these improvements without making significant modifications to the basic structure as initially designed for construction.

The main innovation lies in the design of telescopic swing-type bearings, installed on the piers and abutment, allowing the structure to adapt to varying support heights. Additionally, to maximize productivity, multiple spans were assembled on land on a launching pad, enabling the launch of one span per day.