The Sir Ambrose Shea lift bridge wins key award

The Sir Ambrose Shea lift bridge has received a transportation award of merit. The structure was designed by Parsons and has been given the 2017 Transportation Award of Merit from the Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO). As sole prime consultant, Parsons also provided project management and engineering services during construction. Located on the Avalon Peninsula in the town of Placentia, NL, the Sir Ambrose Shea Lift Bridge provides a connection while supporting the region’s commercial fishing industry.
April 25, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The Sir Ambrose Shea lift bridge has received a transportation award of merit. The structure was designed by 3220 Parsons and has been given the 2017 Transportation Award of Merit from the Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO). As sole prime consultant, Parsons also provided project management and engineering services during construction.


Located on the Avalon Peninsula in the town of Placentia, NL, the Sir Ambrose Shea Lift Bridge provides a connection while supporting the region’s commercial fishing industry. The bridge is raised approximately 2,400 times/year and is one of the few vertical lift bridges in Canada.

Parsons’ design and detailing of the bridge provided for construction of the substructure, approach spans, and lift-span towers without encroaching on the navigation channel. Disruption of boat navigation through the narrow waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the inner harbour was limited to a few days during construction of the lift span and commissioning of the new bridge.

The link was opened to traffic on September 23rd, 2016 and features two vehicle lanes on each side, as well as pedestrian sidewalks. In addition it carries power and communication utilities. The Sir Ambrose Shea Lift Bridge also received a 2016 Design Award of Excellence from the Quebec Region of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Poetry in motion
    August 9, 2018
    A heavy-lift operation by Roll-iT using Enerpac equipment delivered a bridge deck - with a poem engraved on the underside - to Antwerp’s old harbour Only when the deck of the new Londenbrug Bridge is raised do travellers see the poem by Antwerp poet Stijn Vranken. It is written large on the underside of the 300tonne prefabricated steel deck. People waiting for a ship to pass the raised bridge now contemplate the poem’s message about ships transporting goods and people to and from the four corners of the
    Read More
  • New Angolan bridge offers improved connectivity
    September 30, 2013
    Drivers in Angola are benefiting from a bridge that spans the Catumbela River, taking the place of an old structure that had proven not fit for purpose. The US$35 million cable stayed bridge is located in the highway between Benguela and Lobito, around 7km from Angola’s Atlantic coast and is one of a series of new infrastructure developments in the country. Angola suffered a long period of war that impacted on its people and infrastructure. The war resulted in severe damage to the country’s road system alon
    Read More
  • Canada, US officials soon to settle planned Detroit bridge issue
    February 5, 2015
    An end to a thorny issue is close at hand concerning who will fund construction of a border customs plaza on the US side of a planned bridge linking Canada and the United States. US President Barack Obama’s US$4-trillion budget did not set aside any money for the plaza for a second consecutive year, further irritating Canadian officials who are overseeing construction of the bridge. It appears that the Canadian government might end up footing the entire bill, according to a report in Toronto’s Globe a
    Read More
  • STRABAG wins contract for Hamburg, Germany
    August 26, 2020
    STRABAG has won a major highway contract in Hamburg, Germany.
    Read More

Highlighted Content