Project Details

The Kinsol Trestle Bridge is the longest and highest free standing wood structure in the Commonwealth. For the refurbishment, all the wood needed to be replaced but this was going to be too expensive. The Ramsay Group, in collaboration with Knappet and McDonald Lawrence pulled off the impossible. Steel support towers were designed to be installed at regular intervals with large steel sections to tie the towers together. The Ramsay Group modeled the steel to fit in seamlessly with the existing wood structure. The biggest challenge was getting all the sections to the site. It was the Ramsay Group that devised a plan to use the Canada Trail as the logging roads were too narrow. A seven mile temporary road was built down the Canada Trail and in addition Ramsay requested Knappet to build a temporary road (with a 30 degree incline) down the side of the mountain at the bridge site to move three large cranes into position on either side of the river. All the cranes had to be dismantled and moved onto three crane pads, an engineering feat all on its own. The sections were lifted into place, the largest being 120 ft long. As usual the focus for Ramsay is in the details. Ramsay used special corrosion resistant steel tubing that oxidizes to the same colour of the wood. We are extremely proud of all the work we do, but this was a very special achievement.

Knappet Construction