Sometimes location matters a lot. When the City of Alma decided to build a new pedestrian bridge to cross the rugged river that divides its downtown, it wanted a bridge that lasted longer than the one it replaced as well as one that's visually impressive. 

Alma is situated well north in Quebec, Canada along the Saguenay River. This river is why the town is here, it’s powerful flow turns the turbines that power the giant aluminum foundries that employ thousands nearby. Being an aluminum town, the final criteria was that the bridge be a symbol of the myriad uses of their hometown product: aluminum.

The existing pedestrian crossing was a decaying concrete structure and city fathers didn’t want a repeat of its unsatisfactory life span. A cable stay design was chosen both for visual impact and because of the ice blocking issues of the previous bridge having almost 50 thin footings. The attractive new design had one had one prickly problem of its own, the impressive cable stay tower that was envisioned highlighted the limitations of aluminum for bridge design. Too weak and far too expensive to construct in aluminum an alternative was required.

Enter hot-dip galvanized structural steel. Light, strong and thanks to the zinc coating, very durable and quick to fabricate. The local plant nearby assured rapid galvanizing of even the largest tubular elements, fully protected inside and out. Installation was also a breeze with the rugged surface of the galvanized coating negating timely touch-ups. These hot-dip galvanizing qualities contributed to the project being completed under budget and three months ahead of schedule.

So now a new tower of hot-dip galvanized steel is in the center of this aluminum town in the far north. Built to survive in the rugged climate of Northern Quebec and against the deicing salts used for pedestrian safety. See, sometimes location matters a lot!