A common refrain heard in cities everywhere is how to balance between the needs of natural habitats and economic development. An interesting example of an innovative solution in a challenging area is Strasbourg Park in the Montreal suburb of Candiac. Here hot-dip galvanizing proved its stripes with its enviable blend of strengths and qualities.

Tightly surrounded by three major freeways, single family housing developments and a large shopping mall complete with a Walmart there remained a small piece of developable land adjacent to a natural marshland. A developer specialized in seniors residences approached the city with a novel win-win idea to provide public access to this small but pristine marsh with an elevated walkway. The senior residents would surely enjoy the escape to the tranquil wetland and the general public could share it with them.

This unique public-private partnership next had to decide on how to build the elevated walkway. Many construction concepts failed to satisfy the difficult criteria established… no negative impact on the marsh or its natural inhabitants, long life durability against deterioration, pleasing low impact appearance and of course economical initial cost. Only one solution met all these criteria for these structures - hot-dip galvanizing!

The benign simplicity of pure natural zinc would do no harm, its amazing durability would be especially beneficial in the posts driven into the wet marsh soil. Combined with quiet wood decking and handrails galvanized steel ages gracefully with a dull natural tone in parallel with the wood planking and of course the amazing value equation offered by HDG delivers decades long maintenance-free life at a cost now often lower than even vastly lower performing paint systems.

Winter construction on hard frozen conditions minimized impact to the marsh and accelerated completion. The strength of steel and the ruggedness of galvanized steel assured a quick installation with no damage regardless of weather or site conditions.

The first months since opening of this walkway to a bit of nature in a sea of urban sprawl have shown it to be extremely popular; from seniors enjoying a leisurely stroll on a secure and stable walkway only steps from their new home to nature buffs young and old watching ducks and salamanders. Another example of the multifaceted benefits of durable, tough, sustainable and economical hot-dip galvanizing bringing lasting value to people everywhere.