Wednesday, April 16, 2025
At the recent Good Roads Conference, representatives from The Regional Municipality of Durham and Soncin Construction were presented with Good Roads’ 2023 Municipal Concrete Award for the Cochrane Street Bridge Replacement project, located over the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Rail.
The modern design has active transportation features for both cyclists and pedestrians to cross the rail corridor. Sidewalk and on-street bike lanes safely transition into a single three-metre-wide shared multi-use path on the bridge. The project involved complex work within a busy rail corridor. Construction was performed safely and finished on schedule at the end of 2023.
The Cochrane Street Bridge Replacement project was identified as a priority due to the original bridge’s end of service life and the vital need to deliver transportation projects that ensure effective asset management, and improve active transportation as identified in Durham Region’s Regional Cycling Plan.
“Durham Region’s commitment to innovation is demonstrated in this project by working with the consultant and contractor to provide a modern design that balances the railway operations with the needs of cyclists, pedestrians and vehicle traffic within the community. Receiving this recognition from Good Roads shows the unique challenges that came with completing a project of this magnitude while maintaining public safety and with minimal disruption to CP Rail Operations,” said Dan Waechter, acting director of Transportation and Field Services.
The Municipal Concrete Award, sponsored by Concrete Ontario, annually recognizes successful municipal-private sector collaborations in concrete road and bridge construction in Ontario. Criteria for the award considered conformance to specifications based on testing, aesthetics, workmanship, innovation and the method on how the work was completed including public engagement.
The Cochrane Street Bridge Replacement project was an innovative opportunity for a modern bridge design that will provide decades of service to the local community and a safe crossing for mixed-use traffic over the railway.
Selection of bridge design elements was based on constructability within an active railway corridor with unique ground.
Design incorporates CPKC Rail design criteria and includes railway horizontal and vertical clearances that exceed CPKC Rail’s minimum safety requirements.
The bridge design meets the standards for Transportation Association of Canada (TAC), Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code and Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) Structural Manual.
Design commenced in 2019 and was completed in late 2022, with all permits for construction obtained, ready for public tender and construction in Spring 2023.
Featured image: An aerial view of the redesigned Cochrane Street Bridge in the Town of Whitby. (Region of Durham)
