Project Update – July 13, 2020
For up-to-date information on traffic detours and speed reductions, please visit 511 Alberta.
We appreciate your patience during construction.
New Drone Video
Get a bird’s eye view of the North project in the new drone video on the Photos + Videos page.
Stoney Trail Widening South of Scenic Acres Link N.W.
Paving using a “control strip” method helps maintain consistent placement and compaction of the asphalt. The Asphalt Stabilized Base Course (ASBC) – a mixture of soil, crushed aggregate and emulsified asphalt – is spread into control strips and repeatedly compacted and tested to determine its maximum density.
Crews paving a control strip just west of the Stoney Trail lanes, south of Scenic Acres Link N.W.
Bow River Pathway
Pathway protection is provided by a modular gravity wall made up of large pre-cast concrete blocks
Girder Installation for Future Southbound Lanes of Stoney Trail
The girder installations scheduled for last Wednesday were postponed due to weather. On Friday night, four of seven girders were installed on the north span (over the existing ramp) and the remaining three girders will be installed tonight (July 13).
Trans-Canada Highway/Stoney Trail Interchange
Screeding is the process of flattening and smoothing wet concrete. There are both manual and motorized screeds for levelling concrete on all types of projects. For levelling concrete on bridge decks, a truss screed is often used.
The truss screed is mounted on guides or rails on either side of the bridge deck, and the attachment suspended from the truss moves back and forth to level and finish the concrete.
The first bridge deck pour on the North project is complete 
The concrete will cure for 14 days
Trans-Canada Highway/Valley Ridge Boulevard N.W. Interchange
Shear connectors are commonly used in steel bridges to join the concrete deck and steel girders
This week, crews and equipment will be working very close to the fence south of Valley Ridge Heights NW. Due to the limited space between the fence and the treeline, the lower limbs on some trees may be removed by chainsaw.
South of the Trans-Canada Highway
Until recently, much of the work on the North project has been north of the Trans-Canada. In the last few months activities south of the highway have started to ramp up – electrical transmission lines are being relocated, bedrock is being excavated using controlled blasting, earthworks to prepare for bridge and road construction has started and temporary drainage infrastructure is being installed.
Crews installing a new power pole south of the Trans-Canada Highway
The advantage of monopoles compared to traditional lattice towers is that they are fast and easy to erect, have better aesthetics and a smaller footprint. They can also withstand high winds and are reliable even under extreme weather conditions.
Corrugated Steel Pipes are used in integral abutments. In an integral abutment, the expansion and contraction of the bridge (the movement) is taken up by the piles, whereas other bridges may use a bearing and expansion joint system to absorb movement.
What to Expect This Summer
While most of the construction for the South project is slated to start in the Spring of 2021, some preliminary work will begin right away. Here’s what you might see in the coming weeks:
- Utility locates – expect to see crews and flags
- Preliminary surveying – expect to see crews with equipment and survey stakes
- Environmental data collection – expect to see biologists identifying wetlands, rare plants, animals and animal habitats
- Geotechnical drilling – expect to see trucks with augers drilling test holes as well as excavators for trial pits for soil samples