National Research Council to investigate Nipigon Bridge failure

National Research Council engineers engaged to help determine the cause of the major mechanical failure

NIPIGON - The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has reached out to the National Research Council (NRC), Canada’s “go-to” research and technology organization, to help in their efforts to determine the cause of the failure of the Nipigon River Bridge, an essential connection of the Trans-Canada highway in northwestern Ontario and Ontario’s only cable-stayed bridge.

Beginning next week, NRC’s experts in materials analysis and critical infrastructure will analyze some of the damaged bolts taken from the Nipigon River Bridge, which will be transported to facilities in Ottawa for further testing.

Failure analysis will be carried out on the bolts used to hold together two sections of the cable-stay bridge.

Work will begin with fracture surface evaluation, metallurgical composition, and mechanical property verifications to ensure conformity with ASTM standards.

Quick Facts

    •    NRC and the MTO have worked together on previous projects for the MTO Bridge Office.
    •    NRC's world-class expertise and facilities in critical infrastructure develops and validates high-performance materials and innovative structural systems that extend service life and develop more reliable condition assessment, long-term forecasting and decision-support technologies for bridge management.

Quotes

“We are pleased to work with Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation to analyze the conditions that led to the bolts’ failure on the Nipigon River Bridge. The National Research Council is deploying its best industry-leading experts in materials analysis and critical infrastructure and advanced equipment to arrive at a timely, safe, and lasting solution for Canadians using this important trade corridor.” - Richard Tremblay, General Manager of Construction at the National Research Council of Canada

Additional Links

NRC construction programs, technical and advisory services, and research facilities

Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s Nipigon River Bridge updates