Mayor Wayne Wright is bringing a New Westminster resident's idea to repair the Pattullo Bridge to TransLink for consideration.
As previously reported in The Record, Justin Ball has a proposal for a way to repair the Pattullo Bridge and avoid the cost of building a new one.
Ball worked for a company that used fabric formwork technology in England about 15 years ago and says he has seen it successfully implemented in Europe and the Middle East.
"It's not well-known here. It hasn't been publicized here much," he said of the reason the technology has not been widely used in B.C. After meeting with Ball recently, Wright said he will be taking the information about Fabriform to TransLink for further consideration.
Derek Zable, spokesperson for TransLink, confirmed the technology could be considered as an option to repair the bridge.
"If it was determined to be a cost-effective and practical technology locally, and could be applied to the improvements needed on the Pattullo Bridge, contractors may consider its use," Zabel wrote in an email to The Record.
The fabric formwork technology, marketed as Fabriform through a company based in Cleveland, Ohio, involves the use of an industrial fabric to control erosion of infrastructure and natural landscapes.
The method involves pouring concrete into interlocking fabric bags that serve as a framework around the eroded parts of a structure.
In the case of the Pattullo, that would mean the piers and abutments, or pillars, that hold up the bridge and have been deteriorating over time due to water erosion.
"You create the shape and size of the thing you want, just like a tailor does with a piece of clothing, and you pump it full of concrete. The water drains out of it while you're still finishing pumping and you've got a solid mass, which then goes off chemically to become concrete, and that's the end use of the fabric," Ball explained.
Ball said one of the major benefits to New Westminster residents would be that the bridge could stay open while repairs were being done.
He also said the job could be completed for a fraction of the cost of building a new one.
"Compared to building a new bridge, it's pennies," he said, suggesting that while a new bridge would cost upwards of $600 million, the Fabriform repairs would cost about one per cent of that.
"It's less than 100 years old; it is repairable," Ball said of the bridge. "There's no reason to throw things away because they're old. It doesn't mean that they've stopped being effective."
As for any the other problems with the bridge, Ball believes these can be solved cheaply and easily, by implementing counter-flow lanes to deal with rush-hour traffic, and by installing a side railing to increase pedestrian safety, for example.
TransLink is expected to consult with community members in the fall, with the goal of identifying one or two proposals the cities and TransLink can agree on.
This summer, the Pattullo Bridge will be closed to all vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists for three weekends while TransLink carries out maintenance and repairs of the bridge deck between 9 p.m. on Fridays and 3 a.m. on Mondays.
The first closure took place July 20 and 21, with additional work being done Aug. 10 and 11, and Aug. 24 and 25.
For more on Fabriform, visit www.fabriform1.com.
FABRIC FORMWORK
What is it: Concrete poured into interlocking fabric bags, or forms, to create a framework. Can be used around eroding parts of a structure, such as a bridge. The technology was developed by Construction Techniques, Inc. in the mid-1960s, trademarked as Fabriform.
Where has it been used: It was used by Miguel Fisac in Madrid, Spain in the 1970s, and by architects in Japan, Puerto Rico, the U.S., and many other locations.
What about bridges: It was used on a bridge crossing the Severn Estuary in the U.K.; the Grand Canal in Dublin and White Bridge in Wicklow County, Ireland.
