Encountered so frequently by drivers, they almost become an invisible part of the landscape, but without bridges you wouldn’t get very far in Northern Ontario. You have likely driven over many bridges that Phil Clark and his team have had something to do with. He’s the Director of Transportation for WSP for Northern Ontario, working out of the firm’s office in Thunder Bay. His team specializes in the planning, design, inspection and construction administration of highways, freeways, interchanges, bridges other road related infrastructure.
“Currently, we're administering the construction of six bridges: Two near the Quetico Park entrance on Highway 11; two that are just wrapping up on Highway 17 near Ignace; one that has just been completed near Beardmore; and another that has just started on Highway 105 near Red Lake,” said Clark in providing a slice of his current bridge workload. “We are also in the final stages of designing a group of 14 bridges in northwestern Ontario.”
The bridge experts at WSP’s Thunder Bay office are also under contract from the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to perform bi-annual inspections of 600 bridges in the region over the next four years; a safety regimen which Clark wholeheartedly endorses.
“MTO, to my knowledge, is the first government agency to require bridge inspections every two years, and the reason they inspect so often is to catch major problems before they develop,” he said. “MTO is doing a good job with keeping our bridges safe.”
Clark’s Team also specializes in highway projects, such as the four-lane expansion of portions of Highway 11/17.
“Last fall we completed an assignment involving the twinning of 11/17 from McKenzie to Pass Lake (east of Thunder Bay); specifically, the construction administration was done by our team,” said Clark.
In their role as construction administrators, Clark and his colleague’s monitor the project delivery in terms of technical specifications , schedule and cost. They act as a liaison between the client and the contractor.
Working in northwestern Ontario has given Clark’s team at WSP some unique experiences and insights. One example of this is evident with their bridge designs. The remoteness of many building sites makes conventional construction methods impractical. So, working alongside MTO and fellow consultants, they’ve come up with some novel approaches over the years.
“For example, due to the remoteness of the bridges, it is expensive to get concrete to the sites,” said Clark. “So many of the bridges we work on use pre-cast girders. The girders are up to 100 feet long and are hauled to the site from places like Winnipeg and Windsor.”
Engineers working out of the WSP office in Thunder Bay regularly get asked to pitch in with projects elsewhere in the province. While the specific expertise they’ve picked up working in the region certainly doesn’t hurt, Clark chalks the requests up to the fact they’re simply some of the best when it comes to short and medium span bridges.
“We've had staff go down to the GTA just to help because we have such a strong bridge team here in Thunder Bay,” said Clark. “A lot of that strength has been aided by (recruitment from) Lakehead University, who has a great structural program.”
With WSP’s global growth, Clark is looking forward to putting some of that added capability to work in Northern Ontario. One thing his team is aiming to tackle is making the North more accessible.
While the Ring of Fire may be only simmering at this moment, like many in region, Clark has his eye on the mining development.
“We are pursuing work on extending roadways into the North, assisting mining companies and First Nations with gaining road access and bridging gaps,” he said
Clark is focused on building his team at WSP. He wants them to be ready to take on new opportunities he sees coming down the pipe, and he wants them to take on more projects outside northwestern Ontario.
“We're proud to be out of Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario. Our team is based here and we believe it is the strongest bridge team in the northwest. We intend to compliment that by increasing the strength of our highway team as well.”
