Heinrich Heinz
Geotechnical engineer and tunnelling specialist with Thurber Engineering
With the Edmonton Valley Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) tunnels approaching completion, the most significant development in the Province is Calgary’s 46km, CAD 4.65bn (USD 3.68bn) Green Line LRT line, the city’s largest infrastructure investment to date. The City’s vision for the Green Line is for it to be both a transit system and a platform for development and city shaping; aimed at providing efficient service and connections to destination throughout the city, and areas where people can live affordably with access to amenities, services and sustainable mobility options.
The Green Line City Centre section includes 4km of tunnels and deep underground stations. Funding from various government levels is in place, and the project is expected to be constructed from 2020-2026. In March, 2018, Calgary’s city council approved a Design-Build-Finance (DBF) model, following an investigation of several delivery options. A Request for Qualifcations (RFQ) is .expected to be released in Q4 2018, followed by a Request for Proposals (RFP) in Q1 2019. Vendors may look for the bid package on vendor.purchasingconnection. ca or calgary.merx.com.
On the municipal front, there are several small diameter (<3m) tunnels in the design phase and or under construction. Highlights are 3.5km of the Inglewood Sanitary Trunk in Calgary, to be constructed using microtunnel technology based on a design by Aecom, with the contract expected in the fall of 2018. In the Edmonton area, construction continues on the 3km-long St. Albert North Interceptor Sewer, designed by Associated Engineering with Shanghai Construction Group Canada as the microtunnelling contractor.
Several more projects are currently in the design stage in both cities, and municipal tunnelling activity is expected to remain strong for the next several years.
The Tunnelling Association of Canada and the Northwest Chapter of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology will be hosting TT2018, the 2018 Tunnelling and Trenchless Conference in Edmonton, on November 8 and 9. Featuring the theme Innovation in Underground Infrastructure, the two-day conference will include around 40 plenary presentations from North-American and European authors, as well as 40 exhibitors. Wednesday, November 7 will feature a microtunnelling short course, to be given by Glenn Boyce, a tunnel and geotechnical engineer with McMillen Jacobs Associates in Walnut Creek, California. For more information, please visit TT2018.ca.
On a personal note, after more than 10 years as the TAC Director for Alberta, I will be stepping down at our next board meeting in November. I wish the next Director continued successful interaction with the staff and readers of this important magazine.
Stephanie Robillard
BC director and project engineer- Geotechnical with McMillen Jacobs
The British Columbia Tunnel Market continues to be very busy with several large projects completing design and progressing towards construction, and many more on the horizon. The local chapter meets monthly for drinks, appetizers and a technical presentation at Steamworks Pub in Vancouver. All are welcome.
Current Projects
Kemano T2
Frontier-Kemper Aecon JV received notice to proceed from Rio Tinto on the Kemano T2 project. The project will complete the remaining 7.6km of a 16km secondary tunnel that connects to the Generating Station, providing power to Rio Tinto’s BC Works located in Kitimat. The Project consists of tunnel excavation, installation of tunnel lining, rehabilitation of existing underground and surface excavations and installation of intake gates. A combination of drill and blast and TBM tunnelling will be used to complete the tunnel and access routes. A Herrenknect TBM is being mobilized to site with tunnelling to begin soon.
South Surrey Interceptor – Johnston Road Section
An 800m section of Metro Vancouver’s South Surrey interceptor is being constructed by Ward and Burke using microtunneling. A 3,000mm ID HDPE lined trunk sewer is to be installed with Herrenknecht AVN slurry machine. There will be four drives in total. The pipe is being manufactured by Langley Concrete Group. The alignment crosses 54a Avenue and 152nd Street as well as through two busy business parks. The pipe will be installed between buildings with as little as 4m of horizontal clearance between the pipe exterior and the edge of building. Constructed began in June. Construction of the five reinforced concrete caisson shafts are in progress and tunnelling is planned to start in October. Project completion is anticipated to be May 2019, including sewer tie-in.
Douglas Trunk Sewer
Metro Vancouver’s trenchless sewer installations also include work for the Douglas Trunk Sewer in Burnaby, BC. The project’s 1.85km alignment consists of sections of microtunnel installed HDPE-lined reinforced concrete pipe (12,00mm ID) as well as sections of open cut installation (900mm and 750mm pipe). The microtunnelled section has three drives, with a combined distance of 1,000m. The longest drive is 540m. Depth to invert ranges from 3m to 16m. Ground conditions are typically well graded silts, sands and gravel with some of the trenchless sections in lean clay and fills. There are a lot of existing utilities to deal with, including close proximity to the existing live trunk sewer and high pressure gas mains. The contract was recently awarded to Ward and Burke with construction expected to start in October. The projected contract completion date is March 2020.
North Shore Conveyance
This Metro Vancouver project will link the new North Shore Waste Water Treatment Plant (currently under construction by Acciona) with the existing outfall below the Lions Gate Bridge. Michels Canada will install a new lift station to bring the flows from West Vancouver (through a 900mm force main) to the new treatment plant as well as a 2,100mm pressurized gravity outfall to take the treated flows back. The tunnel work includes nine drives, three at 1500mm diameter and five at 2,400mm and one at 3,000mm. Project challenges include a 420m curved microtunnel alignment with a 3,000mm diameter MTBM. The project also includes sections of pipe installed by open cut. Construction began summer 2018.
Kinder Morgan Burnaby Mountain Tunnel
Construction of the tunnel for the new oil pipeline has begun with preparation of the tunnel portal. The TBM tunnel will be 3.8m diameter, 2.6km long under Burnaby Mountain and house three 760mm (30-inch) oil pipelines. The construction is to be completed by Kiewit-Ledcor Trans Mountain Partnership (KLTP). The project is currently on hold due to the overturning of Federal approval.
Site C- Diversion Tunnels
Construction is ongoing at BC Hydro’s Site C project in Fort St. John, BC. Two diversion tunnels are required to redirect the Peace River and allow the construction of the main earthfill dam. Excavated tunnel diameter ranges from 12 – 15m with internal diameter of 10.8m after concrete lining. Tunnel excavation is by roadheader. Tunnel 1 and Tunnel 2 are 700 and 800m in length respectively. Work on Tunnel 1 commenced in August 2018 with a target completion for both tunnels in 2019.
Upcoming Projects
Second Narrows Water Supply Tunnel
Construction of Metro Vancouver’s next major marine crossing is set to begin early 2019. The project includes a 1.1km long, 6m diameter tunnel under the Burrard Inlet, parallel to the Second Narrows Bridge, between Burnaby and North Vancouver. Access to the tunnel will be via a 70m deep shaft in complex soils on the north side of the Inlet. A 100m deep rock shaft will be constructed on the south side. The tunnel will house three welded steel water mains (one 1.5m and two x 2.1m diameter). Contract to be awarded in October 2018.
Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Outfall
Construction of the Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Outfall will follow close behind, with shortlisted contractor bids due spring 2019. Construction is anticipated to start late 2019. The project consists of two 40m deep shafts adjacent to the Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, and a riser shaft conveying the plant effluent up from the outfall tunnel to the diffuser manifold installed at the bottom of the Fraser River. Approximately 800m of 4.2m diameter tunneling will be completed to connect the shafts. The project will showcase a challenging marine operation to complete the tunnel drive under the river and construct a riser structure and diffuser for the outfall.
Eagle Mountain Gas Pipeline
FortisBC Energy, in conjunction with Woodfibre LNG, are undertaking the construction of a 47km gas pipeline extension from Coquitlam to the Woodfibre LNG facility, west of Squamish, BC. A 6km long tunnel to house the 24in pipe has been proposed to protect the sensitive Squamish River estuary and reduce community impacts. The tunnel section includes a 3km soft ground pressurized face TBM tunnel and 3km hard rock tunnel. The project is currently under design with RFP to be released Fall 2018, and construction to start in 2019.
The Annacis Water Supply Tunnel
This project is another major Metro Vancouver marine crossing to provide reliable drinking water to the region. The project is located between New Westminster and Surrey BC, 10km downstream from the Port Mann Water Tunnel project completed in 2016. There are many similarities between the projects including ground conditions and types of structures. The project is expected to include two deep shafts 50-70m deep on either side of the Fraser River and a 2.3km long tunnel between them. Currently the project is at 60 per cent design. Detailed design will continue through 2019 with construction planned for 2020-2024.
Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel
Metro Vancouver plans to replace a section of the Capilano Main No.5 water main through Stanley Park, downtown Vancouver’s renowned nature sanctuary. The project consists of a 1.4km long rock tunnel under the park to house the new 2.6m diameter water main. The proposed underground structures include three shafts and two tunnel drives through weak sandstone. Detailed design began mid-2018. Construction is anticipated to take place 2021 to 2025.
Millennium Line- Broadway Extension
Translink, in conjunction with the Province of BC, will be constructing a 6km extension to the existing Millenium Line Skytrain. All but 600m of the alignment will be housed in underground structures. The project is anticipated to include a combination of bored tunnel, mined tunnel/connections and cut and cover work. The Design-Build- Finance project scope includes the 6 km of running tunnel, and six underground stations, including a challenging underground connection to the operating Canada Line Broadway-City Hall station. The reference design work is complete. Procurement Readiness Phase is under way with RFP anticipated in early 2019. Construction is projected to take place 2020 to 2025.
Walter Trisi
Walter is the director of TAC Ontario and vice president of CRS Tunnelling Inc.
The Ontario market is steady. There are a few lingering tunnel projects that are in the final completion stages; and few new projects that have been tendered; and a few that are currently in the design and/or prequalification stages. The outlook for new projects looks promising. Here is a rundown on some current, near term and future projects in Ontario:
Current Projects
Hwy # 401 Rail Tunnel Project, Toronto, Ontario
Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx issued a tender for the design, build, and finance for the Hwy 401 rail tunnel project. Three teams were shortlisted, as follows: Kiewit (Peter Kiewit Infrastructure Co. / Kenaidan / Obayashi / Hatch), TK LINX (Aecon / Dragados / Technicore / Arup), and Toronto Tunnel Partners (EllisDon / Strabag / WSP). The scope of the project includes the construction of a second tunnel under Hwy401/409 to accommodate two tracks, future signaling and communications infrastructure; and replacing footings of the existing retaining walls that support the ramp from eastbound Hwy 409 to eastbound Hwy 401.
The three prequalified teams bid on the project but the group of EllisDon Capital Inc., and Strabag Inc. (Toronto Tunnel Partners) were low bidders and were awarded the project.
Coxwell By-pass Tunnel, Toronto, Ontario
The Coxwell by-pass is a 10.6km long tunnel, 6.3m internal diameter; entirely in Georgian Bay Formation at a depth of approximately 55m. The tunnel will be constructed utilizing a shielded TBM. There are also five tunnel shafts/chambers, 11 drop shafts/adits and two diversion chambers.
Prequalified Contractors were selected to bid on the project which closed on January 19, 2018. The group of JayDee / Michels / C&M McNally (North Tunnel Constructors ULC) were low bidders and were awarded the project.
MTO Capital Contract 2017-5003; Calamity Creek Culvert Replacement, New Liskard, Ontario
The Calamity Creek Culvert replacement project consists of two parallel tunnel crossings of Hwy # 11 near New Liskard Ontario. The two tunnels are approximately 160m long each, 2.5m internal diameter and will be constructed using an Earth Pressure Balance TBM. Along with the two tunnels, there are the launch and retrieval shafts, access roads, open cut, and settlement monitoring works to be performed.
The design build project bid on January 31, 2018 and CDB (Construction Demathieu & Bard Inc.) were low bidders and were awarded the project. The tunnelling will be performed by CRS Tunnelling Inc.
Burnhamthorpe Water project, Peel Region, Ontario
The Burnhamthorpe Water Project consists of conventional tunnelling and microtunnelling. The 3.8km main tunnel along Burnhamthorpe Rd (between Grand Park Drive and Cawthra Rd) will house a 1500mm diameter watermain. Microtunnelling will be required to install the 600mm watermain along Duke of York boulevard between Webb Drive and City Centre Drive; and the 1200mm Sanitary Sewer along Duke of York and along Burnhamthorpe Rd.
Prequalified Contractors bid on the project which closed on February 9, 2018. Technicore was the successful low bidder and was awarded the project.
Ashbridges Bay Outfall Tunnel, Toronto, Ontario
The Ashbridges Bay Outfall Tunnel is a 3.8km tunnel of 6.8m diameter; entirely in soft rock/shale of the Georgian Bay Formation. The tunnel will be constructed utilizing a shielded TBM. Construction also involves the Tunnel shafts and over 50 risers in the lake.
Prequalified Contractors bid on the project which closed July 26, 2018. The group of Astaldi – Southland were the low bidders.
Near Term
East Brampton Watermain, Contract 1, Peel Region, Ontario
This project consists of 6km of twin watermains ranging in diameters from 900mm to 1,500mm via a combination of open cut and trenchless methods. The RFQ closed on July 27, 2018, results are still pending.
Fairbanks Silverthorn Storm Trunk Sewer System, City of Toronto, Ontario
This project consists of 2.5km of 3m to 4m diameter storm sewer tunnels, approximately 17m to 45m below ground. 1.8m diameter microtunnelling, approximately 12km of new local storm sewers ranging from 250mm to 1800mm diameter via both open cut and microtunnelling.
The tender for the design is currently out for tender.
Upper York Sewage Servicing (UYSS) – York Durham Sewage System Modifications, New Market, Ontario
This project involves approximately 5km of total trenchless works. There is a combination of conventional tunnelling and Microtunnel on this project. The internal diameters range from 1.8m to 3m. There are approximately nine watertight shafts. The tunnel alignments cross under sensitive infrastructure including railways. Project is in design with a possible RFQ for Contractors before the end of 2018.
Future:
West Vaughan Sewage System Project – York Region, Ontario
The West Vaughan Sewage system project is in York Region. The project is currently in the design stage; and is anticipated to be constructed via TBM with internal tunnel diameter of 3m. The total length of tunnel is anticipated to be approximately 14km. Anticipated Construction dates range from 2022 to 2034.
Massey Creek Tunnel, City of Toronto, Ontario
The scope of the work on this project consists of 6.0km of 4.4m diameter soft ground tunnelling. Two shielded TBMs are envisioned to be used to complete the works. Depths range from 12m to 60m below grade. There will be four shafts and six tunnel connections. The project is currently in the design stage; RFQ is anticipated to be in 2021 and construction in 2024.
There are many projects under design and scheduled to be out for tender in the near future, such as: Sheppard East LRT; Downtown Relief Line; CP Rail Tunnel from Windsor to Detroit; Ontario Power Generation deep geologic repository tunnels for nuclear waste; to name a few. The outlook for Ontario continues to look promising.
There continues to be an active microtunnelling market in Ontario. Many projects are being constructed all over the province, such as: Scarborough 1050mm WM; South Service Rd, Burlington; Dixie Rd & QEW crossing; Seaton-Pickering- Rossland Rd; Streetsville, and various MTO highway crossings, etc. These microtunnel projects are being completed by the following microtunnel contractors in Ontario: Ward & Burke, CRS Tunnelling, Earth Boring; and Marathon. Many more microtunnelling projects are scheduled to be tendered and hopefully there will be plenty of activity that will continue into next year.
Jason Mann
Jason is the TAC director for Manitoba & Prairies, and associate principal with KGS
Current Projects
Several tunnelling projects are planned for the City of Winnipeg as part of two overlapping City programs, the Basement Flood Relief program (BFR), and the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Management program.
Four major projects are underway as part of the BFR & CSO programs. These projects include:
- Cockburn and Calrossie Sewer Relief Project
- Ferry Road Sewer Relief Project
- Jefferson Sewer Relief Project
- Transcona Sewer Relief Project
Together, these four projects have over 14km of pipe installations in excess of 1,200 mm; and include pipe diameters up to 3,000mm.
Recent or active tunnelling construction contracts include:
- City of Winnipeg Northeast Interceptor Sewer River Crossing – Ward and Burke have begun site works including shaft construction, with planned installation of a 900mm diameter sewer siphon crossing below the Red River, via microtunnelling in the carbonate bedrock.
- City of Winnipeg Construction of Trunk Sewer and LDS Separation – Cockburn and Calrossie Sewer Relief Works (Contract 11) – Closing early October, 2018, the project includes construction of approximately 500m of land drainage sewers ranging from 1,500mm to 2,100mm diameter, and approximately 1.4km of new land drainage laterals, 300mm to 750mm diameter, installed via trenchless methods, to provide sewer separation.
- Contract 5a – Harrow Street Combined Sewer Modifications – modifications of existing infrastructure (e.g. pre-tunnelling works) to facilitate upcoming Contract 5 tunnelling work
- Ferry Road and Riverbend Combined Sewer Relief Contract 5 East, Stage 2 – work completed on this project during the summer of 2018 included trenchless installation of land drainage sewers of 300mm to 750mm diameters.
Near Term to Future Projects
Near-term City of Winnipeg tunneling construction contracts (i.e., within approximately six to eight months):
- Cockburn and Calrossie Sewer Relief Project – Contract 5: Installation of piping via tunnelling methods, of 2,100mm to 2,400mm diameter
Investments in the Winnipeg CSO program are planned to continue, subject to the approval of Council. This planned investment in buried infrastructure has and continues to generate interest from tunneling companies across North America.
The City of Regina Areas 1 and 17 Drainage Improvement Project – Regina is embarking on a significant infrastructure renewal project within the critical downtown portion of the City. Drainage areas 1 & 17 combined encompass approximately 1,400 hectares of densely urbanized areas of the City, including portions of the downtown core and many major City attractions. Depending on progression of the project, and designs, tunnelling work may be required.
As described in last year’s update as a project under economic assessment, the Tazi Twe Hydroelectric project has been shelved, citing a decline in the projected demand for power in the northern region of Saskatchewan. Should conditions change, SaskPower might reconsider the project.
Jean Habimana
Jean is a TAC director and the regional tunnel practice lead – east region for Hatch
The Montreal LRT Project (REM – Réseau Électrique Montréalais) is a 67km long network with automated light rail to link the south shore of Montreal to the city center as well as the airport and the western suburbs. The project includes building a new tunnel underneath the Montreal Airport and converting the existing 100-year-old Mont Royal Tunnel that is currently used by commuter trains into a light rail operation. The new single tube tunnel is approximately 3km long that will be excavated underneath the Airport runways. Two underground stations will be built within the Mont Royal Tunnel to link two majors university campuses: the Universtity of Montreal and McGill University with a three-minute ride. The Station at the University of Montreal will be 70m deep, which will be the second deepest station in North America, while the McGill Station will be excavated in the heart of the City Center by open excavation method.
Awards for the design-build civil contract and the PPP system contract that will operate and maintain for 30 years were announced in February 2018 and construction is already underway.
The Garage Cote Vertu Project, which is a total of approximately 2.5km long network of tunnels and caverns that will be excavated to house an underground storage and maintenance facility that will be connected to existing Cote Vertu Metro Station. The excavation of the tunnels are being carried out by two roadheaders while the open cut components of the project were excavated by drill and blast. The excavation of the three parallel tunnels that will house the storage and maintenance facilities are well underway and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Breakthrough for the connecting tunnel that links the storage yard to the existing station was in August. The project is located in a known area that has geologic setting that is challenging due to proximity to known faults. Concrete work is supposed to be finished towards the end of 2019.
The Atwater Intake and Water Conveyance Tunnel is approximately 1km long, 6m diameter and 30m deep with two 6m diameter shafts at both end with the City of Montreal. The excavation of the tunnels and shaft was carried out by drill and blast with the use of jumbo and was finished in mid-August. Concrete work is being carried out from both ends using slip forms to accommodate the schedule and is expected to be completed beginning of 2019.
The goal of the project is to convey the raw water into a conveyance tunnel for a portion of the channels that is in close proximity to a major freeway and is therefore vulnerable to contamination from a spill that may occur into the channel, which may lead to the shutdown of the raw water treatment plant, depriving clean water to approximately 40 per cent of the population of the City of Montreal.
The Lavigne Bassin, which is a CSO control project to avoid wasterwater runoff into the Des Prairies River during a major storm event. The project has a storage shaft that is 40m wide and 25m deep that will be tied to a network of tunnels of approximately 2km with a diameter ranging from 2.75 to 3m and cut and covert structures that will convey the water into the storage shaft during a storm event. The wastewater will then be pumped into an existing interceptor once the strom has passed.
The construction of the project is well underway by drill and blast and has crossed a known fault zone. Excavation work is expected to finish towards the end of the year
Suncor Utility Tunnel. This is a utility tunnel to house new and relocated utilities from two existing tunnels that pass underneath Highway 40 in Eastern Montreal Area. The tunnel is approximately 3.5m wide and 3m high, and horse-shoe shaped to link Suncor facilities from both ends of Highway 40. Excavation was carried out by drill and blast and was completed in spring.
The Rue Jarry Tunnel has been excavated by a 88-inch diameter double shied TBM with installation of a 47-inch carried pipe for approximately 4.1km in the tunnel for the City of Montreal. The project was completed this spring. This is part of a larger program for the City of Montreal to provide a reliable water supply by replacing existing aging infrastructure.
Louis-H. La Fontaine Tunnel: The Ministère des Transports, de la Mobilité durable et de l’Électrification des Transports (Quebec Ministry of Transportation) is in the process of procuring the project under a design-build and finance delivery method to undertake major safety upgrade and rehabilitation work on the Louis – H. La Fontaine Tunnel to prolong its lifespan and to comply with current codes, standards and best practices in fire, life, safety as well as emergency egress in case of a major fire event. Preliminary design for this approximately 1.5km long double tube immersed tunnel was completed in fall last year. Responses to the RFQ were turned in in mid-September with RFPs expected by the end of the year for the tender design.
The Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) is in tendering the contract for the owner’s Engineer for the Montreal Blue Line Extension Project that will add five more stations with a storage and maintenance facility. Announced intent is to procure the civil contract under design-build and finance delivery method while the system contract will be procured by design bid build method. The project will extend the existing Blue Line to the east part of the City for approximately 6km.
