The delivery method being used for this project is the “design-build” method.
This method enables the designer and the contractor to work closely together
in order to develop the project in such a way that all the steps can be planned
at the tendering stage and to continue working together through the various phases
of project implementation, including design, prefabrication and construction.
The design-build method proved its merits when the deck of the Jacques Cartier Bridge
was replaced in 2001 and 2002 and during the construction of new bridges in Canada,
such as the Confederation Bridge linking in Prince Edward Island in 1996 and the
Athabasca River Bridge in Alberta in 1997.
The advantage of the design-build method is that it minimizes unforeseen
situations and differences in interpretation between the designer and the
contractor during construction, which helps reduce or eliminate altogether
cost overruns and construction delays.
In 2001, the project to replace the deck of the Jacques Cartier Bridge became
a first in the Quebec engineering sector, as the design-build method had never
before been applied to an existing bridge that had to be kept open to traffic
while the work was being done. The project became a model for similar urban
construction projects. On October 21, 2003, the deck replacement project won
the Precast Design Award in the category Best Bridge Repair in North America
from the prestigious PCI (Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute) of Chicago.
