Ontario awards design contract for Garden City Skyway Bridge Twinning project

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation have selected Skyway Bridging Partners as the development partner for the QEW Garden City Skyway – Bridge Twinning Project. Skyway Bridging Partners has signed a Development Phase Agreement (DPA) with IO and MTO, under a Progressive Design-Build model.

Skyway Bridging Partners will complete the design for the bridge, road, ramps and utility relocation. When finished, the new four-lane, 2.2-kilometre bridge will carry Toronto-bound traffic over the Welland Canal. The existing bridge will then be rehabilitated to carry Niagara-bound traffic.

Skyway Bridging Partners team includes:

• Applicant Lead: Dragados Canada Inc., Construction Demathieu & Bard Techno, Green Infrastructure Partners
• Design Team: Arcadis Professional Services (Canada) Inc., GHD Ltd., Pedelta
• Construction Team: Dragados Canada Inc., Construction Demathieu & Bard (CDB) Inc., Green Infrastructure Partners

The Development Phase is anticipated to take approximately 19 months. Once the Development Phase is completed, IO and MTO will have the option to enter into a contract for the construction of the new bridge with Skyway Bridging Partners.

“Expanding the Garden City Skyway Bridge will secure a vital trade and tourism corridor, support good-paying jobs during construction and build a more competitive economy here in Ontario for the long term,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation.

The existing Garden City Skyway Bridge, built in 1963, requires critical rehabilitation to maintain its structural integrity and service life. Closing multiple lanes for several years to complete the work would lead to significant congestion. Constructing a new twin bridge will ensure traffic flow is maintained during the rehabilitation of the existing bridge deck and will support any future expansion of the QEW and growth in the area.

“We look forward to working with the Ministry of Transportation and with Skyway Bridging Partners as our Development Partner for the QEW Garden City Skyway – Bridge Twinning Project. This collaborative phase that we’re now entering allows us to work together on complex scope, risk and design elements which will help deliver this transformative infrastructure project for the St. Catharines/Niagara region,” said Angela Clayton, interim president and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario.

The Garden City Skyway carries over 100,000 trucks and vehicles daily along the QEW, a critical trade route for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which is home to two-thirds of Ontario’s population and transports $1.16 trillion in goods annually on its highways. The Skway also provides a key link to Niagara Falls, Canada’s top tourist destination, which welcomes 12 million visitors per year.

“Our government has reached an important milestone for the expansion of the QEW Garden City Skyway, which will deliver faster travel times for people and businesses in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we are delivering on our more than $200 billion plan to build the infrastructure our province needs to reduce gridlock, keep workers on the job and drive economic growth,” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure.

Featured image: (Government of Ontario)