Hatch wins 2023 Awards of Distinction for Kingston Third Crossing (Waaban Crossing) project

Kingston, Ontario, Canada - May 10, 2023 - Hatch is proud to announce that it has won one of this year's Awards of Distinction from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of Ontario for its outstanding work on Kingston’s Waaban Crossing (Third Crossing) project. This prestigious award recognizes the exceptional achievements of Hatch in optimizing the design and delivery of this landmark infrastructure project.

The Kingston Third Crossing, recently named the Waaban Crossing, is the largest transportation investment in Kingston's history, aimed at providing a much-needed third connection between communities on the east and west of the Cataraqui River.  The river forms part of the Rideau Canal system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is a federally regulated navigable waterway, which required the project to carefully consider the design and construction engineering to minimize costs, risks, and environmental impacts.

One of the key highlights of the Kingston Third Crossing project was the adoption of an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) contract model, making it the first bridge construction project in Canada to use this innovative arrangement. The IPD partners, comprised of the City of Kingston as the owner, Hatch and SYSTRA-IBT as designers, Kiewit for construction, and trade partners Bauer Foundations Canada and Walters Group (steelwork), were integrated from the very start of the design process, setting shared goals and maintaining shared accountability for delivering the best project possible on time and on budget.

The collaborative nature of the IPD agreement permitted the team to optimize the design of the bridge and to successfully navigate rising steel prices and various challenges caused by the covid pandemic.  Amendments to the design to bring the project within budget included simplified bridge piers and a revised main span layout (which both also offered environmental benefits) and a change to concrete girders, from steel, on the approach spans. In all, design changes resulted in an estimated $12 million in savings to the project.

Close collaboration with Federal and Provincial regulators, with Indigenous communities, and with surrounding residential groups resulted in a bridge that both respects the Rideau Canal heritage site and provides new opportunities for growth within Kingston. The project also supported local economic development by contracting locally for over $22 million in goods and services and creating over 160,000 direct hours of local employment.

"We are honoured to receive the Ontario Engineering Project Award for our work on the Kingston Third Crossing project," said Biljana Rajlic, Global Director, Highways & Bridges at Hatch and Project Manager.  "This project exemplifies Hatch's commitment to innovation, sustainability, and collaboration in delivering complex infrastructure projects. We are proud to have played a key role in this landmark project that will provide significant benefits to the Kingston community for years to come."

For more information about the Kingston Third Crossing (Waaban Crossing) project click here.

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For more information, please contact:
Lindsay Janca
Global Director, Public Relations
Tel: +1 905 403 4199
Email: media@hatch.com 

About Hatch

Whatever our clients envision, our engineers can design and build. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient and innovative. We draw upon our 10,000 staff with experience in over 150 countries to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve.

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