Exceptional Transportation Work

BY CHERYL MAH

The importance of transportation infrastructure was never more evident than after B.C.’s devastating 2021 floods. The province’s November floods cost billions in damage, losses and shut down highways and a railway for weeks. Engineers and construction crews are instrumental in the repair efforts, which are expected to continue into late 2023.

Exceptional work and technical excellence to improve transportation infrastructure in the province is recognized annually with the B.C. Transportation Consulting Engineers Awards. This year’s winners include Stantec Consulting for design repairs and flood response to Highway 8 between Merritt and Spences Bridge.

Working with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and other contractors and consultants, Stantec repaired existing bridges, built two temporary bridges, and provided other support. Starting work immediately after the flood, the team reconnected the high-priority route.

Stantec earned the award in the design and contract preparation — structures category. Another winner in the same category was the team of Hatch Ltd., Charter Project Delivery Inc., and T.Y. Lin International Canada Ltd. They won for repairs to the Taylor Bridge between the north and south Peace regions. Using computer models and inspections of thousands of structural elements, the team detected and repaired a weak gusset plate, while keeping one lane of the bridge open for several consecutive nights during the repair.

Other transportation infrastructure award winners:

DESIGN AND CONTRACT PREPARATION – ROADS

For widening more than one kilometre of Highway 97 and making intersection improvements in Quesnel, Urban Systems won the design and contract preparation award for roads. This project’s worksite included heavy summer traffic, nearby frontage roads and local businesses, multiple utilities, flat surfaces and environmentally sensitive creek-side slopes.

Alternative Transportation

R.F. Binnie & Associates won the alternative transportation award for launching RapidBus routes R1 through R5 in the Greater Vancouver area. Working with the ministry, eight municipalities, one health authority and four contractors, it oversaw a complex and fast-paced project that included road widening, intersection improvements and new multi-use pathways, bus stops and bus priority infrastructure.

Construction Management And Supervision Services

The award for construction management and supervision services went to Associated Engineering (B.C.) Ltd. for the resurfacing of nearly 11 kilometres of Highway 14, a primary access road for the SookePort Renfrew area. The project between Otter Point and Woodhaven roads included paved shoulders, slow-moving-vehicle pull-outs, geosynthetic reinforced soil repairs, and drainage systems to minimize road flooding. Clearer sight lines improved safety at Tugwell Creek, where slides and rocks previously affected the road.

Specialized Engineering Services

PBX Engineeri ng Ltd. won the specialized engineering services award for rehabilitating the Lions Gate Bridge reversible lane-control system. This project resulted in increased safety, highway capacity and reliability, better cybersecurity controls and less traffic congestion. PBX’s work required only a single weekend evening closure, allowing normal traffic to continue during the day.