Reaching new heights

Sorting through the hundreds of jobsite photographs for this year’s contest, the almost- vertigo-inducing perspective of this shot couldn’t help but rise to the top as our team of judges went through multiple rounds of ranking and culling the stacks of images to finally come up with the overall winner of On-Site’s 2021 Canadian Construction Photo Contest.

This year’s winning photo was submitted by COWI North America Ltd. The Quebec Ministry of Transportation engaged the company to develop a conceptual design for a cable dehumidification system for the main cables of the Pierre-Laporte Bridge in Quebec City as part of a longterm management plan for the structure. The shot, which captures the moment in a way that puts the viewer atop the bridge, is from the company’s work at the site in October.

Opened in 1970, the Pierre-Laporte Bridge is the longest main span suspension bridge in Canada. The bridge is located in an aggressive environment where corrosion caused by the use of de-icing salts has to be managed.

All we can say is that it must take a lot of guts to trek up the main cable of a suspension bridge to conduct an inspection, especially while traffic is flowing far below. Thankfully, Eileen McEwen was there with a camera to capture the moment.

In recognition of COWI North America taking top honours in this year’s contest, On-Site has made a donation in the company’s name to Dress for Success Halifax, a non-profit organization that prepares women for employment through coaching, guidance and providing work-appropriate attire.

As with previous years, this was not an easy contest to judge. In addition to the winner and finalists presented in these pages, there were at least a dozen additional images that could have been included as finalists as well. On behalf of the team here at On-Site, we’d like to thank you for sharing these moments on your jobsites. We truly enjoy seeing your finest work.

And don’t forget to snap photos as 2022 unfolds on your jobsites. The next Canadian Construction Photo Contest will launch in December, and you can’t enter a photo that was not captured, so keep those cameras, drones and smartphones rolling! Happy, and safe, shooting.

View from high atop the Pierre-Laporte Bridge in Quebec City earns COWI North America top honours in the 2021 Canadian Construction Photo Contest.

Company: COWI North America Ltd. Photographer: Eileen McEwen, P.Eng. Location: Quebec City