William R. Bennett Bridge

operational

Opportunity Completed in 1958, the existing 3-lane Okanagan Lake Bridge was one of only three floating concrete bridges in the world, and the first of its kind in Canada. The only bridge crossing of the 120 kilometre long lake was operating well over its capacity and had become one of the most congested stretches of highway in the Interior of B.C. With average daily traffic in the summer months exceeding 50,000 vehicles per day, the bridge was in an advanced state of deterioration and was not suitable for long-term repairs. In 2002, the Province identified the need to proceed with replacing the bridge, and in June 2005 a contract for the delivery of a new Okanagan Lake crossing was finalized. Challenges Ensuring existing traffic demands were met while construction of the new bridge was underway. Between the time the province identified the need for a new Okanagan Lake Crossing and the time construction began there was a dramatic increase in construction and labour costs due to major infrastructure projects across the province. Innovations The bridge’s design ensures a usable 75-year design life which is secured by way of the optimized 27-year turn-over condition commitment. As a fixed-price contract, risk for cost overruns and increases in input costs after the Project Agreement was signed were held by the private partner rather than taxpayers. As a performance-based contract, incentives are in place for the operator to meet or exceed long-term safety, reliability and capacity objectives set by the province. Results The bridge was completed on-budget and 108 days ahead of schedule. The new, five-lane William R. Bennett Bridge forms part of Highway 97, crossing the Okanagan Lake between Kelowna and Westbank, at a location immediately adjacent and parallel to the existing bridge. The floating concrete bridge—one of nine in the world— includes an elevated span for marine traffic as well as a lane for cyclists and pedestrians. The bridge is relieving congestion along Highway 97, ensuring the safe, efficient movement of people and goods. The new bridge is expected to accommodate an average of 70,000 vehicles per day by 2017. In addition to the new bridge the Ministry of Transportation and the City of Kelowna undertook the upgrade of the east and west approaches to the bridge in order to improve traffic flow. “This is a world-class floating bridge – one of only nine of its kind in the world – and I’m proud to say it was delivered on budget and ahead of schedule. This new bridge is great for this growing region and an excellent deal for taxpayers as yet another example of a public-private partnership model that outperformed expectations.” Kevin Falcon, former Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Learn more at: CCPPP Case Studies

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