William R. Bennett Bridge
Location: Kelowna, BC Contract Value: $2.15M
The William R. Bennett Bridge in Kelowna, BC is one of a very few floating bridges in the world. It crosses Okanagan Lake with the water depth of over 180 feet underneath the bridge. The construction of the new floating bridge posed many unique challenges. KWH erected this 1,100-foot long, 5 girder wide, 6 span westside bridge structure and pontoon supported steel ramps on the east approach. KWH employed our own specialized shoring bracket system to support the balanced pier girders. The long span drop in girders required the use of our stiffening truss to give lateral stability to the first girders in the span. The extra-long girders, that became the hinged transition between fixed pier to floating pontoons, were supported on our high capacity shoring installed on the end of the last pontoon.
