Transportation Award of Excellence
Mushkegowuk James Bay All-Season Road Feasibility Study Morrison Hershfield
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A collaborative partnership The James Bay ASR Feasibility Study was a collaborative partnership between Morrison Hershfield, the Mushkegowuk Council and the coastal James Bay communities of Attawapiskat, Kashechewan, Fort Albany and Moose Factory, which currently rely on winter roads, rail and air to transport people and goods into, out of and within the region. Care was taken to build trust and community consensus at each key stage in the study. The primary objectives were to investigate, refine and assess the potential for an ASR to connect the coastal communities. The project involved a dynamic, interactive en40
CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER
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“The social benefits of a travel route that would reduce the cost of living to residents in a large area, while addressing technical challenges, were impressive.” - Jury
gagement program, technical studies, socio-economic and environmental studies to assess potential impacts of new transportation infrastructure, a functional design and a cost estimate for the recommended route. The recommended route The selection of recommended route relied on a multi-factor approach to assess the relative merits of each corridor alternative. The evaluation used 44 criteria with associated indicators and metrics. The affected communities provided input on the methodology. The recommended ASR is 525 km of gravel-surface public highway, with a design width of 9.5 m, a de-
sign speed of 100 km/h and a posted speed of 80 km/h. The design includes 70 bridges and 100 additional medium- and large-diameter culverts to span watercourses and muskeg conditions. Two primary sections comprise the recommended route. The recommended inland route runs 192 km, starting at Fraserdale, heading northeast, relatively parallel to an existing railway, hydroelectric and telecommunications infrastructure corridor, and ending in Moosonee adjacent to Moose Factory. The 333-km recommended coastal route begins at Moosonee and generally heads northwest, some 10 to 30 km inland and parallel to the coast, connecting to Fort Al-
PHOTOS COU RT E SY MOR R I S ON H E R S H F I E L D.
he Mushkegowuk Council retained Morrison Hershfield to assess the feasibility of a new all-season road (ASR) connecting four communities in Ontario’s James Bay Region to each other and the provincial highway network to the south. Complexities—including a vast 150,000-km2 study area, challenging geotechnical conditions and diverging community views—were overcome through extensive community engagement, multi-factor quantitative and qualitative assessments and innovative design methodologies.
September/October 2021
2021-10-18 10:14 AM
