Project Update – August 17, 2020

For up-to-date information on traffic detours and speed reductions, please visit 511 Alberta.

We appreciate your patience during construction.

Southbound Stoney Trail Overnight Lane Closures

Paving on southbound Stoney Trail will continue until the end of the week. We understand there were some unanticipated access closures into Tuscany last week and detour signage has been improved as a result. We apologize for the frustration this may have caused and appreciate your continued patience as we complete this roadwork.

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Bridge Pier Construction

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So. Many. Girders.

Last week another five girders were installed on one of the Stoney Trail mainline bridges. So far 44 girders have been installed on the project, with another 106 remaining.

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The Big One

The southbound Stoney Trail mainline bridge over the Trans-Canada Highway is the North project’s largest. The new bridge has four centre piers to support 18 girders, which are 53 metres long for the north span and 43 metres long for the south span.

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Super-elevation

The bridge connecting northbound Stoney Trail to westbound Trans-Canada Highway has a noticeable slant to its construction. This slope is called super-elevation, which is the tilt in a roadway that helps offset other forces acting on a vehicle as it travels around a curve.

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Reinforced Slope along 2 Avenue S.W.

Lots of earthmoving and grading is happening on the southeast side of the interchange. 

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Crestmont Boulevard and 109 Street S.W.

Work continues on the re-alignment of Crestmont Boulevard and its intersection with the future 109 Street S.W., southwest of the Valley Ridge Boulevard N.W. interchange. On a project as big as this one, there is often an opportunity to load and transport excess material from one site to be used on another (as seen below).

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Measuring Groundwater Pressure

Part of the geotechnical work happening across the South project area involves installing standpipe piezometers. Piezometers are used to monitor the groundwater table, which is the boundary between water-saturated ground and unsaturated ground. 

More specifically, piezometers measure “pore pressure” – the pressure of groundwater held within a soil or rock. Pore water pressure is vital in understanding the properties and behaviour of soil in a given area.

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Alberta Transportation’s Safety Focus for August 2020 – New Drivers

Facts about new/young drivers:

• One in five new drivers is involved in a collision during their first two years of driving.
• Statistically, young drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviours such as speeding, alcohol and/or drug consumption, and failing to wear a seatbelt.
• Young drivers are more likely to commit a driver error, such as following too closely, running off the road, and making an incorrect left turn.
• The Graduated Driver Licensing program is designed to improve road safety by creating a low risk, controlled environment for new drivers, regardless of age.

Stats about young drivers (from 2013 – 2017):

• 211 young drivers and motorcyclists (aged 14-24) were killed and 12,079 were injured in collisions.
• Young drivers represented 13.3 per cent of Alberta’s registered drivers in 2017 but accounted for 18 per cent of the drivers involved in casualty collisions.
• More than 40 per cent of young drivers killed in collisions were not wearing their seat belt.
• About 25 per cent of fatal collisions involving a young driver occurred on a Saturday, and fatal collisions involving young drivers were more likely to occur at night than in the daytime.

Reminders for the young drivers in your life:

• Keep eyes and attention on the road. 
• Slow down. Always drive to the conditions. 
• Buckle up and make sure any passengers are also wearing seatbelts.
• Traffic laws exist for a reason. Be sure to follow them.

For more information and resources, visit saferoads.com.