Dangerous Goods (DG) Hazards on Bridges

In support of TC’s objective to have a safe and sustainable transportation system, the TDG Directorate is undertaking a project to determine the relative risk factors in transporting DGs on various bridge types and with a variety of characteristics (e.g., material, condition, span) in order to ultimately guide DG-related restrictions and regulations.Since TC is the regulator for international and interprovincial bridges (i.e., bridges that span between Canada and the United States (U.S.) and between provinces/territories), this study’s results will be used to assess risks on these bridges. The Contractor is encouraged to use information and knowledge of all bridges and form the study’s results in such a way that findings can be applied to most Canadian bridges.There are over 25 international bridges in Canada, of which the majority allow commercial road or rail transport. There is a wide range of rules with respect to the transportation of DGs. These rules change from time-to-time, but they are not routinely reviewed. For example, the Ambassador Bridge, which is the busiest international bridge between Canada and the U.S. in terms of commercial traffic, prohibits DGs of:Class 1 (explosives),Class 3 (flammable liquids),Class 6.2 (micro-organisms that are infectious),Class 7 (radioactive material), andClass 8 (corrosives).These restrictions have been in place since April 2014. In 2020, the State of Michigan proposed lifting restrictions on the transportation of Class 3 and Class 8 DGs on the Ambassador Bridge. This was rescinded in January 2022. Nonetheless, this prompted the TDG Directorate to consider conducting further analysis into a more robust, long-term, and proactive response to these potential changes affecting all international bridges moving forward. The overall objective of this project is to determine the relative risk factors (i.e., hazards) of transporting DGs across bridges of varying design type, material, condition, and span. See Section 4 for more detail on the bridge characteristics this study will assess. Risk factors due to an incident involving dangerous goods may include but not limited to:Extent of damage caused by the DG (e.g., severity of structural damage, likelihood of bridge failure);Safety risk (e.g., injury, fatality) to employees and the general public;Environmental damage; andRemediation efforts required.The Contractor shall identify other risk factors that they deem significant.To support this objective, the TDG Directorate requires the services of a Contractor to complete hazard assessments with respect to incidents involving commercial DG transports on bridges. This project will identify and assess hazards posed by Class 3 (flammable liquids) and Class 8 (corrosives) DGs only, since these classes represent the largest volume of DGs transported.Note that for the purposes of this study, “bridge” includes both road and railway bridges. It excludes overpasses and tunnels.There will be a Mandatory Bidder’s Conference via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, November 9 ,2022 at 1:00pm-3:00pm ESTDuration of contract: The duration of the contract is from contract award to May 31, 2022