The Dawson Bridge is a 100-year-old, six-span truss bridge that runs through the centre of Edmonton, Canada, creating an important link to North Saskatchewan. The structure had weakened with age, and a load limit had been imposed. The existing deck was a combination of concrete and wood. Replacing the deck with concrete and removing the load limit would have required substantial strengthening of the truss superstructure.

The new bridge deck was installed parallel to the renovation of the main trusses. The full-load capacity of the bridge was reinstated without major structural reinforcement. Each 8x 2m (26x 6ft) panel weighed 3.5 tonnes and was lifted into place using tele-handlers working from panels installed only minutes before. No in-field welding was required, with upper and lower bolted splice plates creating plate continuity along the bridge. The deck was sealed with a Stirling Lloyd Eliminator membrane before applying an asphalt-wearing surface.

Using SPS panels, three months were saved on the entire project schedule, and this historic bridge’s full load capacity was reinstated without major structural reinforcement.