Blackshale Creek Bridge Design
2016-2017 | High Rockies Trail, Kananaskis, AB
Blackshale Creek Bridge is a 73m long rope bridge located on the High Rockies Trail in Kananaskis Country.
The High Rockies Trail is used by cyclists and hikers year-round. Blackshale Bridge was created to provide a special experience on the trail and to allow users to cross the creek directly rather than detour around the steep creek bed. McElhanney provided structural design for the complete bridge including foundations and the superstructure.
The client required an aesthetically pleasing structure on a budget, so McElhanney designed a catenary style suspension bridge with two wire ropes that span between the abutment columns on either end of the bridge. Suspender cables were hung from the main ropes at regular intervals along the length of the bridge to support the deck structure. The main ropes act as the upper chord of the handrail and intermediate longitudinal wire ropes complete the guard rail system which was designed to cyclists’ requirements. The bridge also features wind brace cables to improve the stability of the bridge during high winds.
Since opening, the Blackshale Creek Bridge has become an exciting local tourist attraction.
McElhanney provided:
- Complete structural design and drawings
- Drawings for all machined parts
- Inspection of structure during construction
