Event Date
New Île-d'Orléans Bridge: Geotechnical approach for an efficient design
Located east of Quebec City, in Canada, the Île d'Orléans bridge is the only road link connecting the island to the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. The new cable-stayed bridge, spanning approximately 2 km across the St. Lawrence River, will replace the original 1935 suspension bridge to improve transportation for residents and businesses. The new bridge comprises a 520-meter-long north approach; a 790-meter long, three-span cable-stayed bridge; and a 740-meter-long south approach. Fugro is the lead geotechnical engineer for the main bridge and responsible for the characterization of subsurface conditions, assessment of seismic-related hazards, and geotechnical design recommendations for the bridge’s foundations, including drilled shaft and shallow footings. The geotechnical approach to interpretation of subsurface conditions relied on integrated site characterization utilizing multiple in-situ and laboratory tests to obtain reliable interpretations of in-situ stratigraphy and soil and rock properties. The geotechnical approach to foundation design progressed from simplified methods – used during preliminary design – towards refined evaluations during final design comprising nonlinear numerical analyses and validation against in-situ foundation testing. These approaches result in efficient rather than over-engineered designs while helping the team achieve the desired balance between safety, innovation, aesthetics, and sustainability.
Adam Price is a Senior Engineer at Fugro with 8 years of professional earthquake engineering and geoconsulting experience. His work has focused on earthquake hazard evaluations and development of geohazard mitigation strategies for infrastructure, oil and gas, and commercial projects. His work includes liquefaction hazard assessments, nonlinear site response and deformations analyses, design of ground improvement, and design of shallow and deep foundations. Adam is a registered civil engineer and received his PhD in geotechnical engineering from the University of California, Davis in 2018.