COQUITLAM, B.C. – A massive piece of concrete tumbled into the Fraser River on Friday when part of a crane collapsed during construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Metro Vancouver.
The horizontal crane — used to install the 90-tonne precast sections of the bridge — fell off a support leg, releasing one of the concrete slabs into the water below.
Max Logan with the Port Mann Highway One Project said no one was hurt in the incident.
“That area would have been closed to marine users specifically because there was overhead working taking place.”
The crane, or gantry, was built specifically for the Port Mann project and weighs more 700 tonnes.
“There’s no damage to the gantry itself but the blue footing sustained some damage,” Logan said. “It’s leaning to the south.”
He couldn’t say if the crane was in operation when the incident occurred.
The new 10-lane span is being built to replace the current five-lane bridge that carries Trans-Canada Highway traffic over the river between Surrey and Coquitlam, B.C.
The work site was closed Friday while investigators looked for a cause.
WorkSafeBC spokeswoman Donna Freeman said an engineer for the agency was on the site to determine if it was safe to go back on the partially constructed bridge.
“The first step is always to ensure the site is safe for our officers and the other parties that should be there,” she said.
The toll bridge for the estimated $ 3.3-billion project is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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