The William R. Bennett Bridge is a bridge in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Completed on May 25, 2008, the bridge replaced the older Okanagan Lake Bridge

Okanagan Lake Bridge

The Okanagan Lake Bridge was a three-lane, 2,100 foot/650 metre-long floating bridge in British Columbia, Canada. It crossed Okanagan Lake, connecting the Westside area to Kelowna on the lake's eastern side. Taller boats such as sailboats were able to pass under the lift span which was located at...

 built in 1958 to link Downtown Kelowna

Kelowna

Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...

 to West Kelowna across Okanagan Lake

Okanagan Lake

Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The lake is 135 km long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 351 km². The lake's maximum depth is 232 meters near Grant Island...

 as part of Highway 97.

On April 21, 2005, premier

Premier of British Columbia

The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...

 Gordon Campbell officially renamed the bridge from the Okanagan Lake Bridge to William R. Bennett Bridge in honour of former Premier William Richards Bennett

Bill Bennett

William Richards Bennett, PC, OBC , commonly known as Bill Bennett, was the 27th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia 1975–1986. He is a son of the former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, of R.B...

, a native of Kelowna.

Construction budget

The first press release from the BC Ministry of Transportation to include budget information was in 2003. At that time, the project was estimated to cost $100 million CAD

Canadian dollar

The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

 for the bridge and another $20 million CAD for the two interchange upgrades on the west side of the lake.

By June 29, 2005, the cost of the bridge was increased from the previous estimate of $100 million CAD to $144 million CAD "due to dramatic increases in the cost of construction materials and labour", which includes significant increases in the cost of concrete, steel, and fuel. Over the next 30 years, the province of British Columbia expects to pay SNC-Lavalin

SNC-Lavalin

SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is a large Canadian engineering firm. It is one of the ten largest engineering firms in the world and is based in Montreal, Quebec. It formed in 1991 from the merger of SNC and the failing Lavalin, another Quebec based engineering firm....

 a total of $179 million CAD "to design, build, finance, operate, maintain and rehabilitate the bridge".

Construction schedule

• April 2005: Arthon Construction Ltd. begins bridge end preloads from rock on Westside Road
• May 2005: Arthon completes east side preload
• June 2005: SNC-Lavalin
  SNC-Lavalin
  SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is a large Canadian engineering firm. It is one of the ten largest engineering firms in the world and is based in Montreal, Quebec. It formed in 1991 from the merger of SNC and the failing Lavalin, another Quebec based engineering firm....
  
   Inc. is chosen to design, build, finance and operate the new bridge
• July 2005: Construction begins on a dry dock near Bear Creek Provincial Park, where the bridge pontoons will be built
• Q3 2005: Arthon completes preloads on west side of Lake Okanagan
• Q3 2005: Graving dock ready
• Q3 2006: Roadwork on both approaches begins
• Q4 2006: First four pontoons in place
• Q1 2007: Bridge deck construction begins
• Q4 2007: All pontoons in place
• Q4 2007: Roadwork on both approaches is completed
• Q1 2008: Bridge deck construction is completed
• Q2 2008: Test and commission
• Q2 2008: Bridge officially opens
  • Official opening scheduled for May 25th, 2008
• Q2 2009: Decommission of the old bridge
• Q2 2009: Shoreline restoration

Bridge facts

• At the deepest point near the middle of the bridge, the lake is approximately 60 meters deep
• There are a total of 9 concrete pontoons
  Pontoon bridge
  A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
  
  
• The pontoons are 25 m (82 ft) wide and 60 to 90 m (about 200 to 300 ft) long
• The navigation span on the west side of the bridge is 44 m (144 ft) long and provides 18 m (59 ft) of clearance between the bridge and the lake
• Three lanes are for westbound traffic
• Two lanes are for eastbound traffic
• An additional 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) wide pedestrian and cyclist pathway exists on the south (eastbound) side of the bridge
• The west side of the bridge has a pedestrian/cyclist and vehicle underpass at Campbell Road and another interchange at Westside Road
• The Kelowna side of the bridge retains the existing pedestrian/cyclist underpass between City Park and Lake Avenue
• The new bridge is designed to handle up to 80,000 vehicles daily; the old Okanagan Lake Bridge
  Okanagan Lake Bridge
  The Okanagan Lake Bridge was a three-lane, 2,100 foot/650 metre-long floating bridge in British Columbia, Canada. It crossed Okanagan Lake, connecting the Westside area to Kelowna on the lake's eastern side. Taller boats such as sailboats were able to pass under the lift span which was located at...
  
  was designed to handle 38,000 vehicles daily but in 2005 handled approximately 50,000 vehicles daily

External links

• Ministry of Transportation: William R. Bennett Bridge
• Partnerships BC project page for William R. Bennett Bridge
• SNC-Lavalin Inc.
• Westmar Consultants Inc. (created the initial base design for the bridge)