OCTOBER 2017
OF CANADIAN INNOVATION PG. 20
VOCATIONAL TRUCKS
BIGGER AND BETTER PG. 53
SOFTWARE
LOOKING WAY BACK PG. 65
RISK
THEN AND NOW PG. 66
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EXPLORE THE NEW SUPER DUTY®. FORD.CA/SUPERDUTY Vehicle Vehi cle may be shown shown wit with h option op onal al equip equipment ment. *Maxi Max mum m towi owing ng capac c pac a ity of 32,50 32,500 0 llbs on F-4 F-450 5 DRW 4x4 4 with 6.7L V8 dies diesell engin engine. e When n prop properly erly equ uippe ip d with with avail v able factory-ins nstall talled ed equip q men ment. Cl Class as is Full-Size e Heav y Duty Heavy Duty Picku Pickups ps over over 8,50 8,500 0 lbs. lbs. GVWR GVWR base based d on For Ford segmen segmentati a on. on ***When pro properl p y equipp uipped. d Maximum mum payl pay oad off 7,630 7,630 lbs on F-350 DRW 4xx2 w with 6.2L 6.2L V8 gass engin engine. Class is F Full u -Siz -S e Heavy Duty ty Pickups over 8,500 8,50 0 lbs. lbs. GVWR GVWR base based d on For Ford d segmen segmentati tation. on. ***Max Maximum u dies diesel el torqu torque e of 925 lblb-ft ft on on FF-250/ 0/F-35 F-350 0 with with 6.7L 6.7L V8 diese diesell engin engine. When prop properly erly equ equippe ipped. d. Class Class iss Full Full-Siz -Size e Heavy Dutyy Pic Pi kups ove ov r 8,500 lbs. GVWR R based base d on For Ford d segmen segmentati tation. n. ¤Maxi Maximum mum gas torq torque ue of of 430 430 lb.-ft lb.-ft on F-25 F-250/F0/F-350 350 with 6.2 6.2LL V8 gas enggine. e. Wh When en prope properly l equi equipped pped. Class is Fullul Size Hea eavy Duty Pick P ups over 8,5 8,500 00 lbs. lbs. GVWR based on Fo Ford rd segme gm ntat tation. io ^ 20 0a avail vailable able cla class-e ss-exclu xclusive sive fea feature turess (Adap (Adaptive ve crui cruise se contr control ol and and colli collision sion war wa ning ng with hb brake support, ort Adaptive steering, BLIS (Bl (B ind nd Spot p Inf I ormation tion Sys System) tem wit w h tr traile ailerr ccovera verage,, BoxL B ink k wit with premium um locking k cleats, ats FactoryFact ory-inst installe alled d custom customer-p er-place laced d traile trailerr camera camera, In Inatable ata rear outboa rea tboard rd safet safety belts, ts, Mul Multico ticontou nto r front seats with Active e Motion Motio , Power Pow deployab yable le runni running board ards, Power we Scope po owerwer telescop co ing n and power-fo f ldingg trailer tow ow mirr mirrors, ors, Rem Remote tail ailgate gate rel re ease wit with h power power lock ck,, Flat Flat load load o oor, r, Stowa Stowable ble loading o ng ramp ram s, SYNC Y 3, Tailg Ta ate step, Traile Tra r revers v e guidan ance ce, Trai T ler tire pressure e monitoring mo system (TPM MS), S) Up to 7 avai ava lable cam cameras, Utility lighting ligh ting sys ystem tem (LED sid side-m e-mirror rror spo spotlig tlights, hts, Sma Smart rt trail trailer er tow tow conn connector, Collap Colla sibl sible e underder-seat sto torage rage tha that folds d into nto at lo oad oor). Class ass iss Full Ful -Size e Pi Pickup cku s over over 8,500 8,500 lbs GVW GVWR. R. Driver-assist D t fea feature tures arre su supple ement m al and do not not repla replace ce tthe drive river’ss atte a ntio ntion, n, judgm judgment ent and need ne to con control the vehi vehicle. cle ©20 2017 Ford Moto Motorr Company off Can Canada, ada Limited. All rights h reserved.
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VOLUME 62, NO.6/ OCTOBER 2017
COVER STORY 20 60 YEARS OF INNOVATION Enjoy a selection of articles profiling some of the construction projects that were most innovative for their time spanning the past six decades:
24 Progress on Trans Canada 26 Engineering report on seaway 27 Site casting speeds B.C. bridge girders 29 Atom plant on the rise 32 Twin power giants 34 Top tar sands $200M building boom 36 N.B. starts final drive on Mactaquac power plan 38 Skycrane erects 300 ton CN Tower mast 40 Massive bearings support Saddledome 42 Getting ready to erect the big ones 43 Highway 407 drives east 46 Edmonton scores with LEED 50 Open to traffic
20
DEPARTMENTS 7 Comment
Innovating our way to success
8 Contributors
38
Meet our contributors for this issue
10 News
Industry news
14 Construction Stats
The latest stats on construction activity and employment
COLUMNS 65 Software
Looking back
66 Risk
Then and now
53
68 Law
TRAK Energy Corporation vs. Happy Valley
16
53
Past editor Ron Richardson reflects on what it was like to be the editor of On-Site in its earliest days.
Veteran drivers reflect on the evolution of vocational trucks over six decades.
On-Site from the beginning
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Bigger, better, and more comfortable too
67 Index of Advertisers
61
Old products Take a look at what were considered ‘new’ products in 1957. on-sitemag.com / 5
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RUN STRONG. Packed with features that operators demand, Doosan® crawler excavators bring strength to every job. See machines in action:
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COMMENT
Innovating our way to success Looking back through 60-years worth of HCN/ On-Site archives has been an interesting experience. On the one hand, the tradition, family values, and resourceful nature of Canadian contractors, hasn’t changed a bit. On the other hand, pretty much everything from equipment to delivery models is drastically different. While reading founding editor Ron Richardson’s reminiscent piece on how the magazine was crafted in its earliest days, it struck me that there are significant parallels to be drawn between the construction and publishing industries. Lucky me, as a construction editor, I am firmly rooted with one foot in each of these rapidly evolving markets.
IN THE BEGINNING
Get the latest construction news! Follow us on Twitter @OnSiteMag
Back in 1957 when Richardson and his cohort Paul Horton managed to secure the financial backing to get their brainchild (Heavy Construction News) off the ground, “clanking Linotypes transformed molten lead into ‘slugs’ of type to be inserted and arranged in page layouts by compositors,” describes Richardson. It was a slow and tedious process to say the least. At the same time construction drawings were being created by hand, and reproduced mechanically through slow and expensive processes. “Large firms had substantial libraries of hard copy drawings and job specs that were maintained by full-time staff,” says Jacob Stoller in his software column on page 65. Re-drafting and sharing those drawings was time consuming and meant an architect or engineer had to get in their car and deliver the files in person. Over the years construction and publishing have developed new materials, technologies,
and processes to deliver bigger, more complex projects, as rapidly as possible. As we move increasingly towards a digital world, contractors are incorporating BIM, CRM, mobile devices and a whole host of construction apps to run their businesses. They can see drawings in real-time whether they are in the office or on a remote jobsite, and are able to make changes on the fly. What’s that superhero saying? “With great power comes great responsibility.” With an ever increasing battery of tools, contractors are now involved in more aspects of a project than ever before – design, finance, and maintenance, to mention a few. The same is true for editors, who are wearing more hats than ever. We’re researching, writing, and editing content for websites; shooting product videos; moderating industry events; ‘tweeting’, ‘facebooking’, and even starring in our own webinars and podcasts (we deeply apologize for the latter). On top of all this, there are still hefty print products demanding quality original content. There is little doubt that challenging days lay ahead, but we are constantly evolving, adapting and innovating. As David Bowcott so succinctly states it in his Risk column on page 66: “The future is always fun to imagine…” We hope you enjoy our 60th anniversary issue of On-Site, as we look back at six decades of historical projects, technological innovation and evolving business practices.
Corinne Lynds / Editor CLynds@on-sitemag.com
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CONTRIBUTORS
MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS ISSUE JACOB STOLLER / Principal, StollerStrategies On technology 60 years ago: “The typical construction office has come a long way since On-Site’s early days. Drawings, of course, were created by hand, and reproduced mechanically through slow and expensive processes.”
www.on-sitemag.com / Fax: 416-510-5140
PUBLISHER | Peter Leonard (416) 510-6847 PLeonard@on-sitemag.com EDITOR/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR | Corinne Lynds (416) 510-6821 CLynds@on-sitemag.com MEDIA DESIGNER | Lisa Zambri lzambri@annexbizmedia.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER | David Skene (416) 510-6884 DSkene@on-sitemag.com ACCOUNT COORDINATOR | Kim Rossiter (416) 510-6794 KRossiter@on-sitemag.com CIRCULATION MANAGER | Urszula Grzyb 416-442-5600 x3537 ugrzyb@annexbizmedia.com
MATTHEW SWANSON / Borden Ladner Gervais LLP On builders’ lien: “Claims of builders’ lien filed under the BC Builders Lien Act (BLA) are a common, though extraordinary remedy in construction disputes. When such a claim is made, the lien claimant must strictly comply with the requirements of the BLA.”
Vice President | Tim Dimopoulos (416) 510-5100 tdimopoulos@annexbizmedia.com
COO | Ted Markle tmarkle@annexweb.com President & CEO | Mike Fredericks Established in 1957, On-Site is published by Annex Business Media 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON M3B 2S9 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065710 ISSN: 1910-118X (Print) ISSN 2371-8544 (Online) Circulation email: apotal@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 416-442-5600 ext 3258 Fax: 416-510-5170 Mail: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9
DAVID BOWCOTT / Global Director – Growth, Innovation & Insight, Global Construction and Infrastructure Group at Aon Risk Solutions On risk, then and now: “Some say construction is on the precipice of massive change. Others say the next decade could bring changes to the construction industry that would make it almost unrecognizable.”
SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada $81.00 per year, Outside Canada US$139.00 per year, Single Copy Canada $13.00. On-Site is published 7 times per year except for occasional combined, expanded or premium issues, which count as two subscription issues. Occasionally, On-Site will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. Annex Privacy Officer privacy@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 800-668-2374 Content copyright ©2017 by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc may not be reprinted without permission. On-Site receives unsolicited materials (including letters to the editor, press releases, promotional items and images) from time to time. On-Site, its affiliates and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, re-publish, distribute, store and archive such unsolicited submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensation of any sort.
NATE HENDLEY / Freelance Writer & Author On vocational trucks: “Vocational trucks from 1957 were smaller and less powerful than their modern counterparts. They lacked air conditioning, anti-lock brakes and most automatic functions. Cabs were cramped and frames were rigid.”
DISCLAIMER This publication is for informational purposes only The content and “expert” advice presented are not intended as a substitute for informed professional engineering advice. You should not act on information contained in this publication without seeking specific advice from qualified engineering professionals.
MEMBER OF
Canadian Construction Association
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INDUSTRY NEWS
INDUSTRY>NEWS Canada’s construction sector up ‘for sale’ as Aecon looks for bidder Canada’s construction industry may soon have a better idea of how attractive it is to the increasingly globalized building sector as one of its biggest catches sits on the auction block awaiting bidders. Toronto-based Aecon Group Inc. is in the process of courting suitors after it put itself up for sale Aug. 25, a move analysts say will draw players across Europe, the U.S. and China looking to size up the company’s—and Canada’s—potential. In its 140-year history, Aecon has been involved in landmark construction and engineering projects, including the CN Tower, Vancouver’s SkyTrain and the Halifax Shipyard. It currently has major contracts for Toronto transit and nuclear refurbishment, among others. However, analysts say its value has taken a major hit from the drop off of energy and mining projects due to a commodities downturn in recent years. Aecon’s share price has plunged 23 per cent in the past year alone to hover around $14 just before it announced it was weighing its options. “The Canadian construction sector is for sale right now, it’s pretty cheap,” said Frederic Bastien, an analyst at Raymond James. Bastien said there’s only a handful of companies globally that could make a serious bid for the company and that it would likely cost at least $1.5 billion to take it over. Interested parties could include Spain’s ACS Group, U.S.-based AECOM and Italian firms Astaldi and Salini, he suggested. However, he added, any firms looking to bid on Aecon will be making a bet on a recovery in the resource sectors, as well as banking on an increase in government infrastructure spending.
“You have to believe that the natural resources sector will pick up, you have to be attracted, obviously, to the infrastructure spending.” The federal government has been looking to give the construction sector, and the economy, a further boost with promises of $180 billion in infrastructure spending over 12 years, but analyst Mona Nazir at Laurentian Bank Securities says the initial excitement has worn off as the spending has been slow. “We still haven’t seen that huge surge, and I think the initial expectations for that single high-digit organic growth, or even double digit growth, those expectations have been tempered in the market.” She said the proposed $35-billion infrastructure bank, while also slow to get going, could speed up projects once it gets established, while the impact of the hit to commodity prices is starting to dissipate. CIBC analyst Jacob Bout added Germany’s Hochteif as a possibility, but noted big international construction firms have become more focused on the U.S. market as it heats up, while also adding that Canadian regulators might not be so welcoming to Chinese interests. AltaCorp Capital analyst Chris Murray
speculated in a note that some of the most likely buyers are those who have already worked with Aecon, like U.S.-based Kiewit Corp. and ACS Group. He said he doesn’t see Canadian companies like SNC-Lavalin, WSP Global or Stantec making a run for Aecon because they’ve increasingly turned focus to pure design work and away from construction, though at least one domestic company, privately-held construction firm Beattie LP has expressed an interest. Murray said he expects to see strong interest for the company based on Aecon’s record backlog of projects, its very strong positioning in Canada and expectations that the country will remain one of the most robust infrastructure markets globally. “With the announcement, we believe other bidders are likely to emerge making for a robust auction process for a very unique asset.” SOURCE canadianmanufacturing.com
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Pomerleau delivers Place Bell ahead of schedule and under budget Pomerleau was present at the official opening of its Place Bell project in Laval, Quebec last week. The multipurpose complex was completed ahead of the projected three-year timeline and came in under the original $200-million budget. Some of the features include an Olympic ice rink with 2,500 seats, a community rink for 500 spectators, and an amphitheatre with an NHL-sized rink that can seat 10,000 guests and easily be converted into a theatre or concert venue. The September 1st inauguration ceremony was attended by Marc Demers, Mayor of Laval, who was joined by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the City of Culture and Sport of Laval Marcel Alexander; President and Chief Canadian Hockey Club Geoff Molson; Bell
Vice-President, Industry Relations Pierre Rodrigue; and the Minister Responsible for Seniors and the Fight Against Bullying and Minister Responsible for Region of Laval Francine Charbonneau. Also, Donald Audette, former professional hockey player, and Jacob Chicoine, a young player on the hockey team Les Patriotes de Laval, were present to underscore the importance of this new complex for the athletes of tomorrow. New home to the Laval Rockets, the top minor league affiliate of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and future venue of many musical performances, Place Bell
will become a unique location for combining Laval’s sports and cultural development. Mayor Demers noted, “The success of Place Bell is the result of the combination of creativity, talent, competence and the sustained efforts of all. I would like to thank everyone who made monumental efforts to complete the construction of this unique and international building.” Pomerleau’s expert use of Building Information Modeling from start to finish and a successful collaborative process with stakeholders ensured Place Bell was delivered under budget and ahead of Schedule.
Connecting students to trades training throughout B.C. The Province is supporting increased access to trades training with 562 additional seats at 13 public post-secondary institutions throughout British Columbia that offer foundation and apprenticeship programs. “It’s been inspiring for me to visit our public post-secondary institutions, and to meet and listen to the trades students that will be building our homes, roads, schools and businesses,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Educations, Skills and Training. “These students are future innovators. Our investment today in additional trades seats is an investment in the future of our province.” The Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training provided $1.67 million
for an additional 562 trades seats at 13 institutions, including $109,000 for 16 additional heavy duty mechanical trades seats at the College of the Rockies. “This funding allows another 16 individuals to receive training in one of our most in-demand trades programs,” said College of the Rockies president and CEO David Walls. “Those additional students will become skilled tradespeople who can help to meet the labour-market demands of our region.” Trades needed by B.C. industries include, millwrights, heavy-duty mechanics and carpenters. Students completing their education and training in these trades and many others can expect to find rewarding careers and job opportunities throughout B.C. “Enrolling in the heavy mechanical program was the best decision I could have made,” said heavy mechanical student Destyni Basil. “It gave me the opportunity to start my career and to provide a better
life for my daughter... It also allows me to be a positive role model and gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride.” There is high demand in many trades occupations in British Columbia due to retirements and economic development. “Labour-market demands are changing and investments like today’s announcement are integral in ensuring that British Columbians are equipped with the right skills for the job opportunities of today and tomorrow,” said Gary Herman, CEO, Industry Training Authority. “Our apprentices are the future of skilled trades in this province and we’re thankful for the additional funding the government is investing in the growth of our trades industry.” The Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training is working to increase access to post-secondary education, including more access to trades training opportunities at public post-secondary institutions throughout the province. SOURCE BC Gov News
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Bird Construction acquires 50% of Stack Modular
The Buildings Show takes on a transitioning built environment The Buildings Show, North America’s largest networking and educational event for design, architecture, construction and real estate industries returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2017. “Innovative companies are being proactive at looking ahead of client needs and emerging trends, resulting in continued industry leadership,” said Nancy Milani, VP, Informa Exhibitions. “Whether on the show floor or in seminar rooms, attendees will find tools from our exhibitors and speakers so they can effectively adapt to our changing design and construction markets.” More than 30,500 industry professionals visit The Buildings Show annually to connect with 1,600 Canadian, US and international exhibitors. Through demonstrations, in-booth engagements and display features, attendees will discover the latest products, solutions and technologies, and gain perspective on key industry trends. Attendees will be able to participate in exciting events throughout the MTCC. In the South, this year’s International Architectural Roundtable entitled Cities and Densification: Weaving Our New Urban Fabric will feature moderator Adele Weder (Canadian Architect) and panelists Kelly Doran (MASS), Zhu Pei (Studio Zhu-Pei), Lloyd Sigal (Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC), and Don Weinreich (Ennead Architects). The Ask the Experts Breakfast with BASF returns by offering solutions to challenging questions associated with the production, construction, repair, and maintenance of projects made of concrete. The Evolution of Real Estate: Why Engagement Matters, led by Matrix will discuss solutions to nurturing and retaining top talent. The Construction Act, Bill 142 session will focus on 2017 changes to the Construction Lien Act. This year’s PM Executive Roundtable tackles how successful organizations achieve operational excellence through resource and talent management in an intensely competitive market. Visit thebuildingshow.com for more details.
Bird Construction Inc. has acquired 50 per cent of the outstanding shares of Stack Modular Structures Ltd. and 50 per cent of Stack Modular Structures Hong Kong Limited. The undisclosed purchase price and related transaction expenses were funded with existing working capital. Stack is a modular construction company with production operations in China. Stack produces steel frame modules for permanent construction. The modules are suited for the hotel, senior housing, office space and general housing sectors in the North American market. Bird and Stack have complementary knowledge, resources and expertise that positions them well to serve the permanent modular construction market in Canada and the United States. “Bird and Stack form a strong partnership, with Stack’s expertise in modular construction complementing Bird’s business as a leading provider of general contracting services. Combining this expertise, the vision is to deliver projects faster and more efficiently to our clients across North America. Aligned with our strategy, we have been considering a range of ways to further expand our sources of revenue and increase our competitiveness. We believe we can achieve this by participating directly in the modular prefabrication market, which we anticipate will present significant opportunities over the coming years,” commented Ian Boyd, president & CEO of Bird.
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CONSTRUCTION STATS A selection of data reflecting trends in the Canadian construction industry
INVESTMENT IN NON-RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION UP IN SECOND QUARTER Investment in non-residential building construction totalled $12.4 billion in the second quarter, up 0.3 per cent from the previous quarter. This increase follows three consecutive declines. Nationally, the gain was the result of an increase in spending on the construction of industrial and commercial buildings. The institutional component declined for a second consecutive quarter. Overall, six provinces posted increases in the second quarter, with Ontario reporting the largest upturn, followed by British Columbia and New Brunswick. SOURCE: Statistics Canada
BUILDING PERMITS DOWN IN JULY Canadian municipalities issued $7.9 billion worth of building permits in July, down 3.5 per cent from June and the first decrease since March 2017. Lower construction intentions for commercial buildings and multi-family dwellings were mainly responsible for the national decline. Seven provinces posted decreases, with the largest decline in Ontario. SOURCE: Statistics Canada
CONSTRUCTION UNION WAGE RATE INDEX YEAR-OVER-YEAR The Construction Union Wage Rate Index (including supplements) for Canada remained unchanged in August compared with the previous month. The composite index increased 0.8 per cent in the 12 months to August. SOURCE: Statistics Canada
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OnSite_V
Extreme Heavy Duty The VHD suspension system is designed to deliver the best ride under the worst conditions. The standard Volvo T-Ride suspension features trunion-mounted springs and rubber towers for excellent traction and articulation in off-road conditions. With rear axle capacities to 58,000 pounds, a full 17 inches of articulation on each individual wheel end, low-maintenance nylon bushings, and maintenance-free sealed V-Rods and torque rods, Volvo’s T-Ride suspension delivers non-stop performance in extreme conditions. For more information visit DoWork.VolvoTrucks.ca
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On-Site from the beginning
Ron Richardson
We start our 60th anniversary section with some reflections from our founding editor.
BY RON RICHARDSON
T
he mortality rate for fledgling publications is high; many just don’t stay the course. I am proud that both On-Site and myself are still around for this 60th anniversary celebration. Where to start, when recording the publication’s first half-century of existence? Well, I’ll follow past editor Jim Barnes’s advice: “Just tell it like you remember it.” Up front, let me apologize to the many people who are not mentioned in this narrative because of space limitations. You know who you are, and what a tremendous contribution you made to sustaining and advancing the publication.
FIRST STEPS The original concept for Heavy Construction News was first formulated by two young and aspiring journalists: Paul Horton and myself. Back in the 1950s, we worked together on the same Toronto-based construction publication. This publication basically reported tender calls and awards, housebuilding permits and mechanics’ liens, along with other building information. But there were few actual industry news stories. Paul and I came to the conclusion that there should be a publication that offered more, and that it could be offered with a weekly frequency.
What we envisioned was reporting the “how” and “why” of engineered projects. We wanted to describe the new construction techniques, the latest equipment on the market and time-saving work methods—all aimed at helping to make the industry more productive and profitable.
HEAVY CONSTRUCTION We chose to concentrate on engineered construction, such as roads and highways, power dams and pipelines. That meant just about anything included in the category of heavy construction. In that era, there were many great engineering projects underway or on the drawing board. The St. Lawrence Seaway, built to allow better shipping access to the top of the Great Lakes, was Canada’s largest project in progress at the time. Important links in the Trans-Canada Highways were being carved out of rock, and the Columbia River Treaty (involving a major series of storage dams on both sides of the border) was in the negotiation stage with the U.S. Shipping ports were being expanded for bigger carriers, giant power projects were in progress, subways were being built to serve revitalized city centres and atomic energy was being harnessed for electrical power to serve the public domain.
COVERING THE BEAT Our employer expressed little interest in expanding coverage beyond its existing field—at least, not to the extent we envisioned. We wanted to strike out on our own, but you need start-up money to get into the publishing game. It wasn’t until Paul had moved on to join the staff of the Ontario Road Builders Association as assistant general manager that the financial question was resolved. He broached our idea to a number of ORBA members and a group of them showed interest in having a voice for their industry. Six members agreed to back the venture, with the proviso that they remained silent partners. They also said they were not terribly interested in investing in a money pit. This was a not-too-subtle suggestion that we prove ourselves—and rather quickly. With this financial green light, we moved into high gear. I became editor. We recruited budding journalist Alex Jenkins as assistant editor and Baz Bell as advertising manager. Our Girl Friday (not politically correct today) was Bea Vanier, a jack-of-all trades who kept us in line with firm reminders of our responsibilities and a unequalled sense of humour. Office space was secured on the second floor of a drafty building on Irwin Ave. in Toronto, a few blocks south of
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Topping off Commerce Court April 7
Bloor and Yonge streets. In this edifice, you froze in winter and sweltered in summer.
LAUNCH ISSUE Much midnight oil was burned in turning out the first issue of HCN. At that time, we could not afford a string of freelancers or a news service. We often dug for leads in other publications, including national newspapers and magazines, and rewrote and angled material that suited our readership. HCN was printed by Maclean-Hunter Ltd. at its huge plant on Yonge St. just north of Highway 401. I recall how helpful the late Al Roy (who headed the commercial printing division) was in getting us started. Al made room for us in his office area at the plant so we could check and finalize proofs as they came from the composing room. In those days, wonderful, clanking Linotypes transformed molten lead into “slugs” of type to be inserted and arranged in page layouts by compositors. Corrections were often made on the composing room floor with a pair of metal shears to clip and correct errors in the type lines. With the first issue under our belts, I recall an anxious Alex Jenkins asking querulously: “Are we going to have enough
news to fill the next one?” We had enough news, but the advertising was another story. The advertisers had taken a waitand-see attitude, and few were ready to commit until they saw their competitors come on board. HCN was running out of time and financial support from our ORBA-member backers. Our small but dedicated staff had many concerns, and a common one was that the enterprise might not survive—despite all the hard work that had gone into making it a reality.
and a curt nod on his departure from the promises, leaving us all wondering if HCN and its staff still had a future. Without skipping a beat (or an issue), the HCN staff moved into M-H headquarters at 481 University Ave. in November, 1959. The only original staff member declining to make the move was advertising manager Baz Bell, who went on to an exceptional career in the construction equipment financing sector. HCN was added to the M-H stable, which also included two publications covering the building-supply industry.
WHITE KNIGHT A white knight came to the rescue in the form of Maclean-Hunter Ltd. This giant of Canadian magazine publishing, with 60 or more magazine and newspaper titles under its wing, was far into a post-war expansion mode. The man who acquired HCN for M-H was the director of its business publications division, James Lindley Craig, a craggy man more familiarly known as Lyn (for those who dared to be familiar). Craig had been contacted by one of the ORBA financial backers about HCN’s difficulties. He must have done his financial homework before his one and only visit to our quarters on Irwin Ave. He spent about 10 minutes assessing the staff and the set-up. He gave us a smile
GROWTH PHASE Upon acquiring HCN, M-H management appointed one of its senior editors, Wells Ritchie, as editor. I became associate editor and subsequently managing editor, a position I held until 1963 when Ritchie assumed other duties. Our small staff quickly expanded, adding a new publisher, editors and advertising staff, with Craig personally staying in charge of our development and growth. One important editorial move was to add a graduate engineer to the staff. All three of those employed during my tenure were top-grade. These guys spent weeks on the road, crisscrossing the country to gather first-hand observations and photographs of the “really big” projects on-sitemag.com / 17
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Richardson at Manicouagan, December 1967.
Editorial portrait of Richardson, early 1960s.
underway. Their expertise was invaluable to helping the paper to grow and gain additional credibility. Bill Porter was our first enterprising engineering editor, followed by the indomitable Wally Rooke and the gregarious George Peer, who captured the essence of many construction projects with his wonderful photography.
HEADY DAYS Those were heady days in heavy construction. Building methods and equipment were rapidly changing. Tower cranes, which had helped rebuild war-ravaged European cities, were firmly established on the Canadian urban skyline. Earthmov-
ers, in both truck and tractor modes, had gotten a lot bigger and more productive, thanks to advances in hydraulics and other design features that boosted output and comfort for operators. In the 1960s, HCN was a co-sponsor of construction equipment exhibitions staged by the MH Industrial and Trade Show Division. I remember meeting a quite-youthful future prime minister, Jean Chretien, who was a cabinet minister at the time and the official ribbon-cutter and speaker for one of the shows. It wasn’t all about heavy equipment. That era saw the introduction of time- and money-saving construction methods. Critical path scheduling was introduced and quickly took hold as a valuable control method to provide a logical progression in the building schedule.
POWERFUL VOICES Association construction membership also grew and gained support. Such groups as the Canadian Construction Association became powerful voices in providing an industry perspective to government. Local associations also played a major role in getting the message across. Times change and so do companies. Big names in my day, such as Anglin-Norcross who built Toronto’s new city hall, have gone by the boards. I could recall a dozen or more of the giants who have
been absorbed or disbanded, both as contractors and suppliers. That is how the business evolves. Although we had an engineering editor to cover off major projects, I also had my chance to crisscross the country to cover some of the big projects. Recollections include standing in awe in the cathedral-like cavern carved out of rock for Labrador’s Churchill Falls power project. I also had a chance to see Hydro-Quebec’s massive Manicouagan Five power dam take shape in taming a thundering river in the province’s vast northland. There was a visit to the Alberta oil sands during the intial stages of their development by Sunoco. Fort McMurray was a tiny community at that time, almost overwhelmed by the influx of construction workers. The majority of this army of mostly skilled tradesmen lived right at the work site, housed in a “city” of Atco trailers linked in long street lines. There were other trips to the north, watching power startions on Ontario’s Mattagami River power stations come on stream just north of Kapukasing. I was also present for the topping off of the steel work for some skyscrapers, such as Toronto’s First Canadian Place and Commerce Court. You saw the pride of the steelworkers, doing a job I couldn’t imagine, as they positioned the last girder and raised the topping off flag on the final floor.
MEMORIES The one constant I found during my time with HCN was the high quality of the people that comprised the construction industry. I found them “big” people, in the sense that they were ready and able to tackle any engineering challenge. They always came up with an answer to a problem. They kept their cool under extreme pressure and trying condtions. And they took great pride in what they produced, and rightly so. That’s probably my most endearing memory—the time I spent with construction people during my halcyon days with HCN.
18 / OCTOBER 2017
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HOW A MAGAZINE
EVOLVES
As publications re-invent themselves over the years to better meet readers’ needs, the changes are nowhere more visible than on the cover. The covers shown here reflect the evolution of HCN/On-Site from the weekly tabloid newspaper it was 50 years ago to the glossy magazine it is today.
1. April 1957—An example of HCN ‘s original cover design. 2. February, 1960 3. November, 1965 4. May, 1965—Hebdo-Construction was a foray into the Quebec market. 5. January, 1972—HCN becomes a journal-sized magazine. 6. March, 1972 7. January, 1976—CTME addressed construction in the Middle East with the aid of HCN editors.
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IN NO CO 2010 VA NMarch TIO CR NS ETE ,C ON ON CR -S ET IT EA E W AR DS M
Ins i de
ay
:
20 10
www.on-sitemag.com
FEBRUARY 2015
APRIL 2014
HOGGIN’
The
> INSIDE <
RISK PROJECT FIN ANCE
THE ROAD? PG.50
SUSTAINABLE ROADBUILDING METRICS GET GREEN LIGHT
L CONTROER MACHIN20E YE ARS LAT Find out more on page19
PG. 38
PROPANE
RESTIMATED . 45 OFTEN UNDE PG
Road building Issue
IN THIS ISSUE:
LAW
Air compressors & generators Construction in reverse PLUS: Don’t be the weak link
K-UP THE BREAPG . 52 PM #40070230
LAW
> IN S
7 JUNE 201
CONC IDE < R ON-SITETE RO E AD SO
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> IN
CON SIDE < C ON- RETE SI PG.4 TE
THE DUT Y OF HONEST Y PG.62
3
NEW CRUSHERS
punch above their weight
PG.29
PG.46
Hwy 407
drives east
WHAT IS THE
BIGGEST
Billion-dollar Pha se 1 extension will be complete this year
RISK? PG.44
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Subscription Department PO Box 820, Markham Station Main, Markham, ON. L3P 8A3
PG.20
TOP ORS T C A R T N O C HCN03_001.indd 1
05/12/2010 05:26:59 PM
IGITAL GOING D
www.on-sitemag.c om
PG. 19
001-02Cover-2.indd
PM #40069240
COMPACT EQUIPMENT INTERIOR DESIGN PG.16
RISK
www.on-sitema g.com
PM #40069240
THE IDE AL PROCUREMENT MODEL PG.56
1
14-04-10 11:01 AM
sitemag.com www.on-
65710
PM #400
2017-06-13
1:24 PM
8. January, 1988—HEM reflected HCN’s growing coverage of heavy-equipment technology. 9. July, 1984 10. November, 1999 11. March, 2001— CER addressed the burgeoning rental market. 12. February, 2003—HCN becomes On-Site, widening its editorial scope. 13. February, 2005— Concrete On-Site was launched in 2004 for the concrete sector 14. October, 2005 15. March, 2007 16. May 2010 17. April 2014 18. February 2016 19. June 2017. indd 1
E2017_LAZ.
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on-sitemag.com / 21
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60 years of
INNOVATION BY: CORINNE LYNDS, WITH FILES FROM PREVIOUS EDITOR JIM BARNES
S
ixty years ago, when Heavy Construction News (HCN) originally launched as a weekly tabloid newspaper, we were right in the middle of an exciting post-war construction boom. Some of the most important mega projects in Canadian history were just getting underway, and the equipment and materials needed to complete them were undergoing feverish development. Business practices were being developed that would accelerate many of these proj-
ects far beyond anything pre-war builders could have imagined. Flash forward 60 years, HCN is now On-Site, a glossy magazine that publishes in print seven times per year, distributes weekly e-newsletters, and posts daily news to the website. Never mind all the “tweeting” and “facebooking.” We are miles ahead of where we were back in 1957, but those big projects and innovations that HCN covered decades ago, have shaped the industry and cities
we live and work in today. With this in mind, we searched through the dusty old back issues to highlight a selection of articles profiling some of the construction projects that were most innovative for their time spanning the past six decades. We couldn’t include everything, but we do hope you find this collection of excerpts from “vintage” construction journalism to be interesting and entertaining.
THE EDITORS’ DESK A magazine can only be as successful as its staff. Here is a quick salute to the seven editors-in-chief who worked with their staffs over the years to make HCN/On-Site a valuable source of information on all aspects of the business of construction.
Alex Jenkins, 1983–88
Ron Richardson, 1957–59 and 1965–72
Russ Noble, 1988-2003
Wells Ritchie, 1959–1965
Jim Barnes, 2003-2009
David Judge, 1972–83
Corinne Lynds, 2009-present
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OnSite_T
N
S:7”
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1957
National • The Trans-Canada Highway
Progress report on the Trans-Canada Highway
May 16, 1957
BY: ALEXANDER JENKINS
T
he Trans-Canada Highway, stretching from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia—a distance of almost 5,000 miles—is Canada’s biggest venture in highway construction. By providing a trans-continental link the highway will create a vital motor vehicle route of vast importance. When completed, the Trans-Canada Highway will be the longest thoroughfare in the world. With the exception of Quebec, all of Canada’s provinces are participating in the huge project. All are receiving Federal Government financial aid in the form of a 50 per cent subsidy of the total cost of all Trans-Canada mileage, which meets the standards it has laid down. In a report on TCH progress, Federal Public Works Minister Robert H. Winters said that a new financial formula helped double Federal commitments for outlays on the highway in 1956. Included in the Public Works’ estimates for 1957-58 is $30,000,000 as the Federal Government’s share of the estimated cost of TCH construction to be undertaken by the provinces. Mr. Winters reported that more of the Trans-Canada was built last year than
New Brunswick adds a 22-mile stretch of pavement to its Trans-Canada Highway between Young’s Cove and Berwick Corner on Route No. 9. A crew of Dexter Construction Co. Ltd., is shown laying asphalt pavement on the final stretch of the project.
in any previous year and he predicted that this pace will be accelerated in the years immediately ahead. The greater 1956 performance was due largely to increased provincial highway construction programs linked with the Federal Government’s gap-closing formula, which provides financial incentive to Provincial governments. The Trans-Canada Highway act of December, 1949, was amended in 1956. In the new Act, which received Royal Assent on June 7, 1956, Parliament authorized the Federal Government to pay 90 per cent of the cost of construction on 10 per cent of the mileage in each province and extended the construction period to the 31st of December, 1960. It also increased the amount of federal funds available for payments to the provinces
This picture of the route of the Trans-Canada in Yoho National Park, B.C., shows the east and west piers and abutment of the new bridge over Kicking Horse River and the Canadian Pacific Railway.
A completed portion of Alberta’s section of the Trans-Canada, looking west along the highway towards Calgary.
from $150,000,000 to $250,000,000. Approximately 2,735 miles of the Trans-Canada Highway are now paved, and 1,536 miles have been completed to TCH standards. “With the amended Trans-Canada Highway Act and the new agreements,” Mr. Winters stated, “all provinces are preparing realistic schedules in order to achieve a maximum of reconstructed and new highway by the end of 1960.”
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1957
Ontario/Quebec • St. Lawrence Seaway
Engineers report on progress of seaway July 11, 1957
S
atisfactory progress is being made on canals and channels of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the American Society of Civil Engineers was assured at its recent national convention in Buffalo, N.Y. A paper by William Grothaus, Design Engineer. St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., Massena, NY., and D.M. Ripley, Senior Hydraulic Engineer, St. Lawrence Seaway Authority, Montreal, said: “Design of the Seaway canals and channels is virtually complete and construction is well advanced in all sections. Much work remains to be done to establish navigation aids and in chart compilation to make facilities fully useful to navigation. All this work will be completed in time, however, for the opening of the Seaway in the International Section in 1958 for vessels of 14-foot draft and the whole of the Seaway for 27-foot navigation in early 1959.” The paper said: “In its upper and lower reaches from Ogdensburg, N.Y., and Prescott, Ont., to Lake Ontario, and from Montreal to the sea, the St. Lawrence River has been comparatively easy to navigate, and improvements for navigation have not been retarded by complex schemes or exorbitant expenditures. Rather, these reaches have been developed progressively over the years in step with the economies of the shipping for which they are particularly adapted. Consequently, the work involved in bringing these reaches into phase with the present project is not difficult and is required only from Ogdensburg to Lake Ontario and at the Welland Ship Canal. “The intermediate sections of the river, wherein lie the rapids and power sites, have long needed development for navigation, but the complex multipurpose plans
Seen above is the down stream approach call to the St. Lambert Lock, which is scheduled for completion November 30, 1958. Contract for the lock, valued at $7,399,472, is held by McNamara Construction Co. Ltd., Pigott Construction Ltd., and Peacock & McQuigge Ltd.
for power and navigation, and resultant expensive works, have caused a lag behind the need. The requirements for additional power development by both Canada and the United States provided the stimulus which has brought about the start of the present project. Three engineers co-authored a paper on “The St. Lawrence Seaway-Planning and Construction Progress.” They were Lawrence H. Burpee, Deputy Chief Engineer, St. Lawrence Seaway Authority, Montreal; Almern F. Griffin, Special Engineering Consultant, North Central District, Corps of Engineers, Chicago, and Lester W. Angell, Assistant Chief Engineer, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., Massena, N.Y. Duncan McIntyre, Senior Assistant Hydraulic Engineer, St. Lawrence Seaway Authority, Montreal, told the convention that “some interesting hydraulic problems were encountered in the design of regulat-
ing works to control water level in the short channel between locks at Beauharnois.” He said: “This channel has a surface area of little more than twenty-six acres, so that a single lockage operation could change the water level by more than 2.5 feet. Calculations were first made to determine the height of surge which might be caused in the channel by an empty operation at the upper lock, a filling operation at the lower lock, or by both of these operations made simultaneously. These calculations indicated that, due to the short length of the channel there was little danger that a surge height of more than about 2 feet could be built up by lockage operations. This height was not considered objectionable since surge heights of more than 2.5 feet occur in some reaches of the Welland Canal during the course of normal lockage operations with no apparent detrimental effect on shipping.”
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1971
British Columbia • Mission Bridge
Site casting speeds B.C. bridge girders September 13, 1971
Top: High-level bridge is shown in drawing as it will appear upon completion over Fraser River near Vancouver. Right: Conveyor feed cuts pouring time to under two hours.
BY TIM CURTIS, HCN CORRESPONDENT
T
here’s a superstructure girder poured for the new bridge over the Fraser River at Mission City, B.C., that should be autographed “PKS” on one side and countersigned “BBR” on the other. It was the first of 70, and as far as the men of Peter Kiewit Sons Co. of Canada Ltd. and BBR Canada Ltd. are concerned, the other 69 should be plain sailing to speed completion of the four-lane, highlevel structure underway a few miles east of Vancouver. The two companies, with a total force
of 32 men, moved onto the project in June. Peter Kiewit Sons, which has the $1,619,922 superstructure contract for spanning 11 land piers, not only decided that the semi-lightweight concrete (115 lb cu ft) girders should be cast on-site, but opted to “deliver” the job for themselves, with BBR Canada Ltd. doing the reinforcing bar and cable work under a sub-contract. Daily Rate: On June 14, there was nothing but a deserted narrow strip of ground beside the north bank piers. On July 29, the first girder came off an assembly line set up to produce at the rate of one girder a day. The schedule became effective once a couple of girders had been put through the mill to iron out production wrinkles.
Frustrating occurrence during this period was the late arrival of a key piece of equipment, a 200-ton-capacity Manitowoc crane, transported from Toronto. When everything was set up and ready to go, part of the crane was still sitting in a railway siding near Edmonton. When it all reached Vancouver finally, there wasn’t a boat available to bring it up river. But on July 23, the crane at last walked ashore and all preparations were “go” for the first girder. Both Banks: The pouring schedule is now 40 girders for the six north bank spans by September 22. The operation will then re-group on the south bank, where 30 girders are required for five more spans. The nine-span superstructure over the water is being erected of steel by Canron’s Western Bridge Division. The entire bridge has 19 piers which, together with the two abutments, were completed last year by Northern Construction Co. of Vancouver. Scepter Dredging Ltd. of New Westminster, B.C., working on the approach embankments, has lifted more than one million yards of sandfill from the bed of the Fraser River by suction dredging. C.B.A. Engineering Ltd. of Vancouver is consultant on the project to the B.C. Department of Highways. On-site casting was selected by PKS because of the higher handling costs indicated by using factory-made girders. ‘We could have shipped the girders up river from the coast”—some 50 miles— “quite reasonably,” says Chris Laursen, Peter Kiewit’s project superintendent, “but getting them from the barge to where we wanted them for erection would have raised the cost considerably. There’s nothing big enough in cranes to do the job, so we would still have ended up using trucks.” on-sitemag.com / 27
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1961
Ontario • CANDU program
Atom plant on rise in $85m venture September 8, 1961 BY WM. A. PORTER, TECHNICAL FIELD EDITOR
P
our and blast is the order of the day at Canada’s first full-scale nuclear power plant on the east shore of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ont. The Douglas Point Nuclear Power Station, or CANDU (Canadian Deuterium Uranium) reactor as it is usually referred to, is a global pacesetter for development of heavy water reactors and Canada’s first venture in the field of commercial atomic power. Estimated cost of the over-all project is $81.5 million. When completed in 1964, the 200,000 kw unit will feed into the southern Ontario power grid. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is the designer of the station, and is presently
footing the bill. Ontario Hydro is primecontractor, or construction agent, for AECL. Hydro also provided the 2,300 acre site. Under the purchase agreement with AECL, Hydro will obtain nuclear electricity from the Douglas Point station at a cost competitive with modern coal-fired plants of a similar size. Eventually, Hydro will probably buy the plant outright. Using natural uranium as fuel, Candu will be moderated and cooled by heavy water. This strictly Canadian approach to nuclear power has attracted interest around the world. Experts claim that this method is the most likely to make nuclear power competitive with conventional thermal power. Phase one of the five-year program— the development of the site, access roads,
foundation excavations, the 11 mile power-line to the site, the temporary office, warehouse, shop, and concrete plant structures—is nearly completed. Work is well into phase two, that of building the reactor building and the 850 ft. long cooling water intake. A wood crib, rock-fill cofferdam out into the lake is now under way in the first half of the intake conduit. Interesting aspects of the project: • Concreting operations on the reactor building. Massive reusable steel plywood forms speed 40 cy. pours for an average of 10 pours a week. • The concrete itself. Extreme care is taken to insure quality. The 4 ft. thick outside walls have 20% replacement with fly ash, and are cured at 75 deg. The
ts in,
Carefully cut intake trench shows results of painstaking rock operation carried out by Hydro engineers.
on-sitemag.com / 29
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1961
Ontario • CANDU program
Blaw-Knox forms, specially designed for 8,000-yd. reactor walls, cling to two 26-t. segments.
shorter 8 cy pours between wall sections are cold-cured at 55 deg. to reduce shrinkage; 46,000 cy. for the entire building. • A special ilmenite aggregate has been imported for use in the main reactor walls. The extra density provided by this heavy aggregate provides added radiation shielding. • Line drilling on 5 in. centres with a 2¼ in. bit has virtually insured clean, accurate walls for the water intake and outlet trenches and building foundations on the project. Very light charges consisting of either plain Primacord detonating fuse, or the new small-diameter (7/8 in.) Xactex explosive charges in 24 in. lengths, have sheared the small limestone burden away from the face into the already excavated trench. • The guy derrick in the centre of the reactor building. At 310 ft. this is one of the highest independent tower and
derricks ever used in Canada. The boom alone is 105 ft. The derrick, supplied by Horton Steel Works, Fort Erie was originally intended to be used to erect the massive steel dome. Hydro engineers, realizing its valve during construction, arranged to have it installed at the outset, thereby making it available during forming of the concrete walls and footings. When the structure is almost complete, the derrick will be dismantled so that the last section of the steel dome can be welded into place. The heavily reinforced concrete walls of the reactor building will require over 8,000 cy alone. Since the shape of the building, 105 ft. high by 138 ft. wide, is apt to present a squat appearance, the architects requested that the outside of the building have a vertical effect to give the appear-
ance of added height. This fitted in with the designer’s plans to pour the circular wall in segments to reduce shrinkage and possible cracking. By dividing the wall into 38 segments, alternately 26 ft. and 5 ft. in arc length, and by pouring the larger segments first, the larger percentage of shrinkage would have taken place before the shorter pour was made. The average wall thickness throughout is 4 ft. Fly ash in the larger sections and cold-curing in the shorter segments further reduce cracking. Concrete design calls for 20% replacement of concrete by fly ash to reduce heat rise and consequently cracking. Other advantages of the fly ash include lower cost, superior final strength, easy bulk transportation. Specified slump is 1½ in. maximum. Hydro purchased six complete sets of the specially-designed Blaw-Knox forms in the 26 ft. long by 10 ft. high size, and nine sets in the 5 ft. long by 10 ft. high size. A complete set of corbel forms for both pour sizes was required. Advance is made by anchoring the forms on the previous pour and tying across the top. Special Acrow-Richmond anchors are set into each pour to support the forms for the next advance… Using nine forms, the average repeat cycle is 48 hours, giving nine large and nine small pours per week. Choice of formwork was based on the fact that each and every pour entailed a multitude of modifications. That is, each pour differed considerably from others in the sizes, locations of corbels, access points, piping, etc. In order to speed forming, Hydro shop specialists built a full-scale model on site onto which the modifications for each pour could be placed beforehand. Plywood panels are mounted onto a metal frame similar to that used to pour the reactor walls. Holes are cut as required and all modifications made right on the ground next to the shop. The plywood panels are then transported as required to its particular pour.
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1963
Quebec • Manic 2 and 5
Twin power giants on the rise in Quebec September, 1963 BY JOHN VAN DER FEYST, HCN QUEBEC EDITOR
Spillway pour at Manic 2 as P&H crane, with 150-ft boom, hoists 2-yd bucket.
A
round-the-clock concreting to meet winter deadlines is in full swing at two Hydro-Quebec power projects on the Manicouagan River in northern Quebec. Quantities to be poured by lateNovember: 800,000 yds at the Manic No. 5 project, 370,000 yds at the Manic No. 2 site.
With batching plants producing at full tilt, the daily schedule calls for 5,000 yds at Manic 5 and 3,700 yards at Manic 2. This is no-slump, 4,500 psi concrete with 6-in. aggregate. The Manic 5 project calls for a 4,200-ft-long and 705-ft-high multiple-arch buttressed dam requiring a total of 2,800,000 yds of solid concrete.
The Manic 2 scheme will be a 300-ft-long, 240-ft-high, hollow-jointed gravity dam and spillway, with about 1,200,000 yds of concrete. At Manic 5, pouring is by a triple cableway shuttling 8-yd buckets between batching plant and job site. To date, about 400,000 yds have been placed in a series of two 10-hour shifts. This high rate of pour on some 60 plots has been maintained through use of special formwork. These Form-Lok panels with their Meccano-type adaptability are keeping time and material costs down. Supplied by Canadian Formwork Ltd., Montreal, some 130,000 sq ft of panels in various sizes are used to make up the complex shapes required. The dam is a series of arches, supported by buttresses. The small downstream and upstream faces are formed by inclined cylinders. The axes of each will converge to a point above the dam. A section through the arches shows a tapered wall. The main 500-ft arch also is an inclined cylinder on the upstream face, but has an inclined cone on the downstream side (not a cone of revolution). Its axes also converge to a point above the dam. Since the cylinders are inclined, a horizontal section through the arch results in an ellipse, while the downstream face of the main arch describes a different ellipse for each succeeding lift. This is being achieved by using standard flat panels and straight, 8-ft-long steel whalers (12 to 14 lb per lin ft). A curve is first approximated in a series of 8-ft-long chords with the whalers and later adjusted with 2-ft wide panels moved out from the whalers by double steel key-wedges.
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OnSite_P
PCL Construction congratulates On-Site Magazine on its 60th anniversary! At PCL we know the importance of recognizing and celebrating the past; we are in year 111 of building across our country. PCL will continue to honor our rich history, while building iconic projects into the future.
Watch us build at PCL.com
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1965
Alberta • The Oil Sands
Tap tar sands in $200 million building boom to create new northern oil empire November 19, 1965 BY EARLE GRAY
T
he largest construction project ever for northern Canada is transforming what was once a sleepy fur trading post into a bustling boom town that calls itself the “oil capital of the world.” The town is Fort McMurray in the center of the Athabasca country, a vast trackless region spread over parts of northeastern Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. Nearly 200 years ago this was the heart of a fur-trading empire that stretched from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean, from California to Alaska. Today, it is the site of a $200 million project to tap the Athabasca tar sands, largest known deposit of oil in the world. Underground fires, a nuclear explosion, steam injection, micro-organisms and a washing machine have all figured in attempts, plans and ideas to produce the wealth of the tar sands, but for half a century all that the oil industry has been able to produce at Athabasca is frustration. Now, however, Great Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. is convinced it has the answer to economic production of the tar sands, and a gigantic plant now a building on a
300-acre site 20 miles from Fort McMurray is testimony to Great Canadian’s confidence. “We’ve got 1,200 men working here on a schedule of nine hours a day and six days a week.” says Basil Ince, project manager for Canadian Bechtel Limited, prime contractor for Great Canadian. “Next year we’ll have 1,800 men. We intend to see this plant producing 45,000 barrels a day of synthetic crude oil in 1967.” … A skilled-labor shortage—currently an acute problem throughout western Canada—is about the only serious problem facing construction, according to Great Canadian’s resident engineer Robert McClements. So far the problem hasn’t been too bad for Great Canadian, but as the work now starts to move indoors the demand for skilled workers goes up. “The problem is going to be in finding enough electricians, welders, plumbers and other skilled tradesmen,” says McClements. One factor that will help is the nine hours a day, six days a week working schedule. “The men get paid pretty high rates for the over-time,” says McClements, “but it’s still less costly than providing accommodation for a larger work force, even if we could find more men. Besides, if you worked only 40 hours a week up here, what would you do with your spare time?”… For the town folk of Fort McMurray, development of the tar sands seemed so often promised Processing facilities and coke-fired power plant under construction.
and so often frustrated that few were ready to believe it would really materialize even after Great Canadian got final Alberta government approval for its scheme on April 10, 1964 and announced that it would start work immediately. Not until construction workers by the hundreds, vast machines, equipment and supplies started pouring into the area were the town folk convinced that at last development of the tar sands was at hand. Today there is a new million-dollar hotel, new apartment blocks, shopping centers, office buildings and a spacious subdivision for 600 planned new homes which will cost between $14,000 and $20,000 each. A $3.3 million bridge spans the Athabasca river to link the plant and town. Pacific Western Airlines operates two return flights daily between the new $168,000 air terminal at Fort McMurray and Edmonton. Next year, a highway to Edmonton will be completed, providing the Athabasca Country its first road link with the rest of Canada. The 1,200 men now working at the plant live in modern camp accommodation at the plant site. When the project is on production in 1967, the entire 600-man operating and maintenance staff will live at Fort McMurray. Already the population has more than doubled to 2,500 and over the next five years is expected to double again to at least 5,000. It will be an ultra-modern community within 600 miles of the Arctic circle, the largest town this far north in Canada. For years the cities of Calgary and Edmonton have been fighting over the title of oil capital of Canada. Fort McMurray couldn’t care less. It has staked its claim to the title of “oil capital of the world.”
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1967
New Brunswick • Mactaquac
N.B. starts final drive on Mactaquac power plan January 16, 1967 BY ALLAN W. MACPHAIL
W
ith just a year left to complete the initial phases of construction on New Brunswick Electric Power Commission’s Mactaquac power development on the Saint John River, all work forces are gearing for the final drive on the $113-million project. This major hydro-harnessing scheme, 14 mi west of Fredericton, will eventually pour 600,000 kw of energy into the Maritime’s expanding economy. The first three 100,000 kw units will go on line at two-month intervals, beginning early Jan./68, and the remaining three will be installed by the early 1970s. The basic use of Mactaquac power will be as a peaking load plant. A hydraulic unit capable of producing 100,000 kw can be at full load in about 3 min, versus 3 hr for the same output with a thermal unit. It is, therefore, apparent that in any power system where load demands fluctuate considerably over very short period of times, a source of additional power must be available at all times on short notice. This is the prime purpose of Mactaquac: to augment relatively steady loads carried by thermal plants by a large, readily available source of hydro power. Incidental to the ultimate economic benefits to be derived from the project, of course, is the creation of several hundred jobs during the construction period in an area of chronic unemployment. There are now over 1,800 men employed at Mactaquac. About 1,300 are 100,000 kw can be at full load in about 3 min, versus 3 hr for the same output with a thermal unit... Incidental to the ultimate economic benefits to be derived from the project, of course, is the creation of several hundred
Nine cranes swing forms and concrete buckets in powerhouse construction area along the left bank of the river.
jobs during the construction period in an area of chronic unemployment. There are now over 1,800 men employed at Mactaquac. About 1,300 are at the site of the dam and the remainder off-site in the forebay area, which stretches up the river over 60 mi. Off-site work in the forebay area has a budget figure about equal to the general contract value on site, or $34 million. The two operations of on- and off-site activities are handled by the NBEPC as separate entities, both under one executive director, G.H.D. Ganong, who is in charge of the entire project. Operating under Mr. Ganong are two organizations, off-site is a resident engineer, A.H. Wark, and on-site a project director, K.J. Blakeman, and a resident engineer, J.H. Christmann.
Mr. Wark has in his organization, for off-site work, both design and construction engineers in charge of various phases of the work, such as highway, railway and building relocations. On-site, all design is done by H.G. Acres & Co., with supervision and inspection being carried out by the resident engineer’s staff. The general contract for the main dam, diversion sluiceway, spillway, intake and powerhouse was awarded to a joint venture group headed by Dufresne Engineering Co., Montreal, with Taylor Woodrow of Canada Ltd. and Robert McAlpine Ltd., both Toronto. D.S. Johnson is project manager for the joint venture company, called Mactaquac Constructors.
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1975
Ontario • The CN Tower
Skycrane erects 300 ton CN Tower mast March 31, 1975 BY GEORGE A. PEER, HCN ENGINEERING FIELD EDITOR
E
rection of a massive 335 ft (102 m) high structural steel antenna mast marks the final phase in the construction of Toronto’s $35 million-plus CN Tower. For the city’s “sidewalk superintendents” this has been the most dramatic phase in the 25 months since the tower project got under way, as they strained their necks to watch a Sikorsky Skycrane 64E helicopter lift the mast sections from the ground and place them precisely, one on top of another on their steel base, starting at the 1 480 ft (451 m) level. Since March 5, when the 10 ton (9 t) capacity helicopter arrived on the Front St. site, it has made an average of three trips per day to the top of the structure. The last of the mast’s 39 sections is scheduled to be in place by April 1, bringing the total weight of the antenna to 300 tons (272 t), and the tower to its finished height of 1 815 ft (553 m). Malachy Grant, director of design and construction for the owner, CN Tower Ltd., says the tower will be open to the public late in 1975. Radio and television transmission is slated to start early in 1976. Manager-contractor for the tower project is Foundation Building Construction, a division of Foundation Co. of Canada Ltd., Toronto. André Jordan is Foundation’s project manager; assisting him is Jack Whyte. The Sikorsky’s first job was to dismantle the Pecco 900 tower crane which played a key role in the slipform operation. Because of the weight of the crane—47.5 tons (43 t)—the crane had to be taken down from its 1 480 ft high perch in seven sections. First to come down on March 8 was the 100 ft (30 m) long, 6 ton (5.4 t) job boom. The steel antenna base, which had been erected with the Pecco crane on January 31, became visible once the last
section of crane was removed. Canron Ltd., Eastern Structural Division of Toronto, which has the contract for fabricating and erecting all interior and exterior steel for the tower, including the mast, subcontracted the helicopter work to Erickson Air-Crane Co. of Marysville, Calif. The Sikorsky and a five-man crew (three pilots and two mechanics) is costing the owner about $7 000 a day. During its scheduled one-month stay at the site, the chopper will have made 58 lifts: seven for the crane, 39 for the mast sections, two for a pair of dampers and the balance for miscellaneous equipment. Powered by twin-jet turboshaft engines, the helicopter has a 72 ft (22 m) dia six-blade main rotor and a 16 ft (4.9 m) dia four-blade tail rotor. Facing aft and looking through a plastic bubble, a back seat pilot carefully monitors the movement of the load. Canron’s site superintendent, Bob Bronstein, described to HCN a typical lifting sequence which starts at a temporary helicopter pad near the base of the tower: A mast section or “can”, is first connected to the Sikorsky with four hooks and four chokers. A steel bridle at the belly of the chopper stabilizes the load. Once the Sikorsky is at the top of the tower, which takes only two or three minutes, the can is slowly lowered by a winch. Two Canron workmen at the top of the uncompleted mast direct the Sikorsky crew with two-way radios. Steel guides extending upwards from the last erected can, guarantee a sure fit. Once the new can is in position, the chockers are released electrically.
Skycrane lift of each mast section to top of tower takes only 2 to 3 minutes.
Safety is a major concern. A warning siren is sounded 10 minutes before the chopper goes into action to clear site personnel well away from the pad. Helicopter lifts are carried out in previously allocated time slots during a five-hour period beginning at 9:20 a.m., when train activity alongside the site is at a minimum. The rail yardmaster is phoned shortly before the Sikorsky takes off so that he can block out train movements within a particular time slot. Once winds at the working level exceed 40 mph (64 km/hr) the chopper is grounded.
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2017-02-27 2017-10-05 11:55 AM
1983 Alberta • Saddledome
Massive bearings support Saddledome’s floating roof February 7, 1983 BY ROBERT L. CONSEDINE
A
series of 28 specially designed bearings, including several of the largest uplift bearings ever used in Canada, has been installed as a critical element in the unique paraboloid roof covering Calgary’s Olympic Coliseum. Known as the Saddledome because of its elliptical and elongated roofline, the 20 000-seat sports and exhibition centre is being constructed for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and as the future home of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. The most unusual aspect of the spherical building is the massive hyperbolic paraboloid roof. Comprising 16 precast, post-tensioned concrete segments, each weighing up to 88 452 kg, the giant ring sits atop 32 slanted concrete columns at heights of 61 m to 67 m above the playing surface. The roller-coaster lines of the ring, plus the “sagging” of one set of bonded
strand steel cables and the “hogging” of another set, interact to form the roof’s curved and twisting shape. The “sagging” cables, running parallel to each other about 6 m apart and dropping about 14 m in the centre, are laid between the upper halves of the ring. The “hogging” cables are laid between the lower halves. The two sets of cables form a rigid network of 6 m2 grids on top of which are 394 precast concrete roof slabs weighing up to 4550 kg each. The narrow 1 m wide strips between the roof panels are filled with poured-in-place concrete. Extending around the perimeter of the building are the 32 rib columns, including two rigid A-frame structures at opposite ends of the stadium on the low side, which support the ring beam as well as two seating ramps. Varying in height up to 27.7 m and slanting outward at an average of 45°, the columns were constructed using both poured-in-place and precast, post-tensioned concrete techniques.
Partial view of the roller coaster lines of the ring beam. Eliptical and elongated shape led to it being called Saddledome.
The ring beam itself consists of 1.5 m deep, 4.3 m wide and 27.4 m long concrete segments prefabricated in five geometrically different shapes to accommodate the constantly varying vertical and horizontal curvature of the beam. The beam, like the rest of the building, is divided into four quadrants—north and south on the low sides, east and west on the high sides—with each side facing the mirror image of the other. One of the major challenges in designing the stadium and its hyperbolic paraboloid roof was the problem of safely controlling the awesome forces that a roof structure of this size and shape could develop, especially under high wind loads. To contend with the deflections caused by wind and snow loads as well as with the extreme temperature fluctuations that are common in the Calgary area, the roof was designed to float on top of the rib columns by means of multidirectional bearings. The only place the roof is fixed is at the north and south quadrants, where the rigid concrete A-frames are used to take the lateral loads out of the roof. All other loads are absorbed by the roof bearings. The 28 Wabo-Fyfe bearings used for the job were custom designed and manufactured by Elastometal Ltd., Burlington, Ont., to the exacting specifications established for the roof by Jan Bobrowski & Partners Ltd., Calgary, structural engineering consultants for the Olympic Coliseum project. Sixteen of the 28 high-load bearings are uplift bearings. Of these, eight are capable of handling 1779 kilonewtons of uplift, 445 kilonewtons of horizontal and 1779 kilonewtons of vertical forces. At the same time, they permit 304 mm of radical movement, 152 mm of tangential movement and 4% rotation in the eleva-
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tion as well as in plan. The remaining eight uplift bearings are designed for 444 kilonewtons of uplift and 222 kilonewtons of horizontal and 2220 kilonewtons of vertical loading. Radial movement is 254 mm and 152 mm tagentially. The 16 uplift bearings emply a double guided internal mechanism that permits movement in all directions while simultaneously providing for uplift forces. These bearings are unique in that most conventional high-load bearings can be designed either for uplift or for rotation but not to satisfy both functions at the same time. In essence, the patented Wabo-Fyfe system acts like a giant universal joint. In constructing the exterior of each bearing, Elastometal employed the same grade and type of high-impact steel used to build turbines. The pin and socket assembly was crafted using shaft steel. Every aspect of the design and manufacturing process was carefully evaluated
One of the eight big Wabo-Fyfe uplift bearings in position between the top of the rib column and the ring beam. Bearing weighs 1814 kg.
and tested by Elastometal’s technicians to assure optimum quality control and maximum operating performance under extreme load conditions in the field. Actual installation of the bearings was carried out by Genstar Structures Ltd.,
Calgary, which is supplying and erecting the precast concrete columns, ring beams and roof panels. The bearings were seated on thick steel plates bolted and grouted to the top of each rib column. Placement of the bearings progressed smoothly and the work was completed during two weeks last fall. The big uplift bearings, which weighed about 1814 kg each, were attached to the ring beam segments while they were on the ground. The smaller bearings were set on top of the rib columns prior to hoisting the ring beam into position. In addition to Genstar Structures, key participants in the Calgary Olympic Coliseum project include Cana Construction Co. Ltd., construction manager; Graham McCourt Architects; Jan Bobrowski & Partners Ltd., structural engineer; Vinto Engineering Ltd., mechanical engineers; AME Engineering Ltd., electrical consultants. All are Calgary firms. Owner is the Calgary Olympic Colisuem Society.
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1995
Prince Edward Island • Confederation Bridge
Getting ready to erect the big ones January 1995 BY ENGINEERING EDITOR GEORGE A. PEER
A
n ocean away from the Northumberland Strait bridge job, a drydock in France is playing a key role in the $840-million project. Near the Calais terminal of the recently opened 50 km Channel Tunnel, more muscle is being added to a giant floating crane so it can work in the wind-tossed waters that separate Prince Edward Island from New Brunswick. The Svanen was first used in 1990 to position heavy girders for the 6.6 km Store Bælt bridge, which is part of a highway connecting mainland Denmark with some of its islands.
Because the strait is jammed with ice between December and April, project designer J. Muller International/Stanley Joint Venture called for the 11 km of girders will be tensioned to each other as well as to the piers. About 12 000 tonnes of post-tensioning material for the bridge is being supplied by NSP, an international partnership of three companies. Olympic Metals Ltd., Caraquet, N.B., is supplying 50 000 tonnes of rebar. Almost one million m2 of metal form-
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A 40 tonne steel ice shield at base of pier shaft doubles as concrete form.
work is coming from Canada’s two largest suppliers: Economy Forms Ltd., Georgetown, Ont., and Aluma Systems Canada Inc., Concord, Ont. Aluma designed forms for the main girder and its supporting member at the pier, the matchcast, and subcontracted fabrication to Cherubini Metal Works Ltd., Dartmouth, N.S. Efco is designing and supplying its own forms for the balance of the bridge. When the Svanen lowers the first pier shaft on to a pier base this summer, the bottom of the shaft will flare out to 20 m as it doubles as an ice shield. One half of the 8 m high ice shield will be above the ice and one half below. The reinforced concrete shield will have a structural steel skin to force the ice to ride up and break off, reducing huge lateral forces. At the Borden casting yard, the 40 tonne steel ice shield doubles as a form. The shield rebar alone weighs 170 tonnes. When concreted, the shield will weigh 2600 tonnes, or more than half the total weight of the pier shaft. Giannelia says 1995 will be when the P.E.I. bridge job changes dramatically, going from land to water. “Our target date for erecting the first main span girder is either end of August or early September,” he says.
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2015 Hwy 407 • Phase 1
Highway 407 drives east February 2015
E
ven among huge highway developments, Phase 1 of the plan to extend Ontario Hwy 407 eastwards is remarkable. The massive design/ build/finance/maintain public-private partnership project near Toronto is a showcase for leadership in construction, planning and the environment. It’s also a project that has faced its challenges. Studies on the extension began in 2005. In May, 2012, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Ontario awarded the billion-dollar DBFM contract to the 407 East Development Group (407 EDG), with a deadline in 2015. There are two equal equity partners in 407 EDG: Cintra Infraestructuras S.A. and SNC-Lavalin Inc., through its SNC-Lavalin Capital division. The partnership is responsible for financing and project direction.
The design-build team contracted by 407 EDG is the 407 East Construction General Partnership. 407 ECGP has two equal equity partners, SNC-Lavalin Inc. (through its SNC-Lavalin Construction Div.) and Ferrovial Agroman S.A., each with a 50 per cent share. This group is responsible for design engineering, project management, procurement and construction. The design was developed by Jansen & Spaans Engineering Inc. and AIA Engineers Ltd. During the 30-year operational term of the contract, operations, maintenance and rehabilitation services will be provided by Cintra and SNC-Lavalin Operation & Maintenance. Hwy 407 will be a publicly owned, tolled highway. The provincial government will own the facility and control tolling
rates and revenue. “There was a desire by the province to retain the toll revenue from these new facilities. That is a distinction from the existing 407 ETR and that was a decision made by the province of Ontario prior to tendering or awarding this contract,” says Jeff Stapleton, project manager, Infrastructure Ontario. It’s a matter of balancing risk, says Steven Hankins, chief executive officer, 407 EDG. “They transferred the project risk to the private side in terms of putting the project on the ground and arranging the financing—doing the design, construction, operations and maintenance.” The revenue risk, on the other hand, has been assumed by the Ontario government. To read the complete article visit on-sitemag. com and visit the archives.
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Coco Paving at work, Oct. 2014.
MASSIVE PROJECT It’s a massive project that includes: • extending Hwy 407 from the Brock Rd. Interchange Eastern Limit in Pickering to the Harmony Rd. Interchange Eastern Limit in Oshawa (approximately 20.3 km.) • building the West Durham Link (which will become Hwy 412) east of Lake Ridge Rd., a north/south freeway connector to Hwy 401 (approximately ten km.) • realigning part of Highway 401 (approximately five km.) There will be six lanes on Highway 407 from Brock Rd. to the West Durham Link; four lanes from West Durham Link to Harmony Rd., and four lanes on West Durham Link. That totals some 148 new lane-km., with up to 10 interchanges including two highway-to-highway interchanges, 31 major water-crossing structures and 16 road crossings. The Phase 1 interchanges included in the project are: • 407/Brock Rd. (being built by 407 ETR) • 407/Lake Ridge Rd. • 407/Baldwin St. • 407/Thickson Rd. • 407/Simcoe St. • 407/Harmony Rd.
• West Durham Link/Dundas St. • West Durham Link/Taunton Rd. • West Durham Link/Hwy. 7 • Hwy. 401/Lake Ridge Rd. • Freeway-to-freeway interchanges at West Durham Link/Hwy. 401 and West Durham Link/Hwy. 407
CHALLENGING SCOPE The scope is massive, but the technical details such as paving design are spelled out according to established provincial regulations. Qualitas, a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin, is the pavement designer. There was nothing unusual about the paving design—it was pretty much a straight-up Superpave mix, meeting standard provincial paving requirements, says Miguel Angel Alonso, construction manager, 407ECGP. It’s a huge job and the sheer quantity of fill needed for it is a challenge, notes Alonso. Fortunately, the soil in the area is very suitable for this kind of work. “In general, we are able to use 75 to 80 per cent of the soils in the fill,” he says. While reusing the local soil helps, “The quantities for the granular and asphalt are huge. We have to move these quantities over a very short time,” he adds. Most of the aggregate comes from quarries within 80 km of the jobsite, but the roadbuilders have to manage a fleet of more than 100
large trucks, a logistical challenge in itself. Another challenge comes from the need to minimize impacts on highway traffic. “There is a lot of traffic in this area, and every single movement—every single activity—can affect the traffic. We are very concerned about that,” says Alonso.” As part of the agreement, we cannot close a single lane of the highway during the day. We only have night-time closures, and this also applies to roads that connect with the highway.” A number of traffic studies were done to plan the detours and assess the effects of redistributing the traffic on the area roadways. The roadbuilders reached out to the municipalities affected—Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa and the region of Durham—and worked with them on scheduling to minimize traffic problems. For example, they made sure that two closures would not occur next to each other at the same time, says Hankins. “We also have to deal with the railways—and that involves more restrictions than the roads,” Alonso adds. “It’s a very challenging part of the project.”
To read the full version of this article, visit on-sitemag.com and visit the Digital Archives – February 2015.
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2016
Alberta • Rogers Place Arena
Edmonton scores with LEED silver arena April 2016 BY ROSS MONSOUR
T
he Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton is a testament to the longterm durability of concrete, and the advantages that this material brings to mega structures. The arena will be unique in the sporting industry as the first NHL facility designed and built to meet LEED Silver designation. It will consist of the major sports arena that includes seating for more than 18,000 hockey fans, and over 20,000 for other major events. It will have a community rink attached and a Winter Garden complex as the entrance to the arena. The complex will include a 47,800sq.-ft. community rink, 33,800-sq.-ft. Winter Garden for public gatherings, 182,000-sq.-ft. underground parking garage and a 22,800-sq.-ft. corridor. The construction partners on this project are the City of Edmonton; primary owner Katz Group who own the Edmonton Oilers; the ICON Venue Group who are the project managers; PCL is the construction manager and HOK is the architect (HOK purchased the original firm of 360 Architecture). The construction work started in 2013 and is expected to be complete by September 2016, just in time for the beginning of the hockey season. The estimated cost for the facility and the connections to the City infrastructure is $606 million. The City will be responsible for connecting the LRT and a pedestrian walkway to the Rogers Place. The contract is not a typical design/build process but rather a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), which maintains the contract at fixed price unless design changes are made after the contract is under way. Construction started in July 2013 with
pile loading testing at two sites. These were excavated, concrete piles were placed and steel beams were loaded on them to test the piles performance. During this excavation the soil was left on site to minimize truck traffic. The soil was covered to minimize the dust in the area. Concrete trucks accessed the site to cast the piles. After the piles were tested the soil was backfilled into the excavated area. The actual excavation started in March 2014 with 80,000 cubic metres of material being removed. This was the start of a process where 700 concrete piles were cast for structural support of the complex. Once the piles were complete, the remainder of the concrete and steel structure began in September 2014. The building is being constructed with 24,000 cubic metres of concrete and 9,000 tonnes of steel. Aspects of the build that assisted in qualifying it for LEED Silver accreditation were 94.8 per cent diversion of waste from landfills totalling 3,469 tons; other areas are LED lighting and the connection to the transit system. This facility will use heat recovery ventilation combined with a highly insulated building envelope. Another unique feature is that the ice slab is cast on top of a 16-in. structural slab that is over the underground parking. The arena slab itself is 8-in. thick and the application took 320 cubic metres. Under the mesh are miles of cooling pipe that will cool the ice using the radiant mass of the concrete. There are about 129 zone for the cooling pipes. The concrete was placed in 12 hours followed by 12 hours of finishing. The curing was conducted over a month using a wet cure covered with polyethylene, which is optimal for this type
of slab. This project is part of the revitalization of the Edmonton downtown and establishes a benchmark for future structures in the City.
Provided by the Canadian Ready-Mixed Concrete Association. Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com.
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PHOTOS BY JEFF NASH, OILERS ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
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2016
Nova Scotia • Macdonald Bridge
Halifax’s Macdonald Bridge stays open to traffic while 46 bridge spans are replaced October 2016
F
or only the second time in history, the suspended spans of a bridge are being replaced while keeping the bridge open to traffic. The first; was the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, and the second is Halifax’s own Macdonald Bridge. The $207-million project, fondly known as “The Big Lift,” is necessary to extend the life of the bridge and reduce maintenance. According to Steve Snider, GM and CEO of the bridge, after six decades the deck was starting to separate from the floor beams, causing a rough ride for bridge patrons. The bridge, which remains open to
vehicular traffic during the day, shuts down at 7 p.m. every night for construction, and then reopens at 5:30 a.m. before the morning rush. The Big Lift includes replacement of the road deck, floor beams, stiffening trusses and suspender ropes on the suspended spans (2,500 ft. of the overall 4,418 ft. length). Once complete, much of the bridge infrastructure will be new, leaving only the towers, main cables and anchors on the suspended spans as original.
THE PROCESS Starting near the Dartmouth shore then
working across the main span between the two towers, the bridge deck panels over the water were replaced overnight in 20-m lengths. The segments being replaced over land on the Halifax side are more complicated and require the use of a massive crane (these panels are only 10 m in length). As of September 19th, 30 of the 46 segments had been replaced. According to communications manager Alison Macdonald of Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission, all deck segments will be replaced and the bike lane is on target to be finished by the end of this year. As you might imagine, a job like this requires the coordination of efforts from
Service vessels transport staff to the barge during morning crew change.
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down to about 15 hours.� Over the coming months the bridge height will be adjusted to increase shipping clearance by 2.1 metres. And, in 2017 there will be paving and work on the expansion joints as well. A final, separate project will see a dehumidification system put in place to extend the life of the main cable stays.
CROSSING DURING CONSTRUCTION
several different teams in order to run smoothly night after night. The bridge deck panels that were replaced over water required a lifting gantry to be positioned on the suspender ropes, and then the existing panel was lowered to a barge in the harbour. A new panel was then lifted into position in the same manner. One deck panel was replaced every three or four working nights in the beginning, but since April, the
crew has increased from 35 ironworkers to 70, and two deck panels are able to be replaced at a time. Pieter Webbink from Eagle Beach Contractors Ltd., (the firm catching the pieces of the old bridge deck as they are lowered onto a waiting barge) explained to On-Site back in June, that a lot of the initial delays were related to learning curve. “The first deck segment took 62.5 hours to replace, but the average is now
The Macdonald Bridge is a critical piece of infrastructure in Halifax, and closing it to traffic for an extended period of time was not feasible. The city, and emergency services, would not be able to handle the congestion caused by having only one bridge. With this in mind, the construction and engineering firms devised a schedule that means the work is mostly completed overnight, and the bridge is open to the public during the day. The bridge is closed six nights per week (Sunday through Friday) from 7 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. And in the 18 months that the project is expected to take, there will be approximately 12 full weekend closures. While the bridge has remained open to traffic during construction, the bike lane and sidewalk were removed prior to the first panel being replaced primarily for safety reasons. The new deck is much lighter than the original deck. To carry out the project the weight on the existing bridge deck must be reduced to account for construction equipment and temporary connections at the construction face. During construction, a 24-hour day shuttle service is being provided. It consists of three 17-passenger buses with bike trailers attached. Each bike trailer can accommodate 12 bikes. The service is free for users. With files from the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission
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VOCATIONAL TRUCKS
VOCATIONAL TRUCKS
Looking Back 60 Years H BY NATE HENDLEY
erb Maney of Karthaus, Pennsylvania, has been driving vocational trucks all his life, starting at age 12 in 1954, even before he had a license. Asked to compare work trucks from the 1950s with modern-day vocational vehicles, Maney pauses for a moment. “I’m trying to think of an analogy. Day and night would be good,” states on-sitemag.com / 53
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Daimler De
VOCATIONAL TRUCKS the veteran trucker. Hauling coal on private roads for his family’s coal strip mining business in mountainous central Pennsylvania, Maney drove a variety of trucks. These included a 1951 General Motors Diesel GMC 650, a 1956 Ford F9 and a 1951 Federal Motor Truck, to name a few. Getting up steep hills meant driving as slow as three miles an hour, in second gear most of the way. Maney got his license in 1958 and began driving on highways. He drove trucks on and off his entire working life and his family today still runs a small trucking firm (M&M Enterprises Transportation, based in Frenchville, PA). When Maney started driving, “power steering for trucks hadn’t been introduced yet. Clutch pedal efforts required lightly built drivers to literally stand on the pedal to disengage the clutch. Trucks were
regularly built with separately controlled auxiliary transmissions. Even when loaded, the ride was harsh. Suspensions were stacks of leaf springs. Safety? In 1957, seat belts in automobiles were an uncommonly purchased option [much less] in trucks,” states a Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) representative who would rather not be named. The DTNA rep was speaking specifically of Freightliner work trucks (Freightliner Trucks being a Daimler division). It’s safe to say, however, that work trucks in general were considerably more rudimentary six decades ago than they are today. Vocational trucks from 1957 were smaller and less powerful then their modern counterparts. They lacked air conditioning, anti-lock brakes and most automatic functions. Cabs were cramped
and frames were rigid. If you had a radio, “you couldn’t hear it from the noise in the truck,” recalls Maney. “Looking at trucks of today versus those of 1957 is like comparing a smartphone to a rotary phone. They ultimately accomplish the same core job, but the level of refinement is beyond comparison. Modern trucks, like their predecessors of a half-century prior, are still mechanical work tools built to do a job, but virtually every facet has been improved for better performance, productivity, comfort and efficiency,” states John Felder, product marketing manager for vocational trucks at Volvo Trucks North America. With this in mind, here’s a roundup of some common vocational trucks plying the roads in 1957:
VOLVO Volvo’s main vocational trucks in 1957 were the L 385 (known as the “Volvo Viking”) and the L 395 (known as the “Volvo Titan”). The L 385 was a versatile truck designed for transporting medium to heavy loads, with a six cylinder, direct injection 115 bhp engine (at 2,400 rpm) and a two-speed, electronically-operated rear axle. The L 395 series, the largest, most powerful Volvo trucks at the time, had a six cylinder, 150 bhp direct-injection diesel engine and five-speed, synchronized overdrive gearbox. In 1957, Volvo heavy duty trucks had manual transmissions and multiple levers for two-speed rear axles. Today, they have automated manual/ automatic transmissions, as well as spacious cabs, HID/LED headlights and engines that surpass 600 hp. In terms of chassis suspension, 1957-era Volvo heavy duty trucks only had metal leaf springs while their modern counterparts have leaf springs, parabolic springs and air suspension, states Felder. Significantly for the driver, modern work trucks from Volvo have front and side air bags. Needless to say, 1957 models did not have air bags or many other safety features.
MACK
KENWORTH
FREIGHTLINER
D D
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VOCATIONAL TRUCKS
KENWORTH
FREIGHTLINER
WST 12293 - More_Horses_OnSite_FP Western Star WST 12293 InDesign CC 4cp
The Mack B61 “in my opinion, made the modern trucking business. That was the first truly dependable, economical, solid, durable truck” of its kind, recalls Herb Maney. B Model Macks were introduced in the early 1950s. Trucks in this series boasted “the Thermodyne diesel engine, which really set the standard for the industry at that point,” states Doug Maney, curator at the Mack Trucks Historical Museum in Allenton, Pennsylvania and Herb Maney’s son. Many vocational trucks at the time still used gasoline-powered engines, so a powerful and reliable diesel engine was a big step forward, notes Doug Maney. Other Mack work trucks in 1957 include the B-30P (the “P” stands for “platform”), which had a net horsepower of 114 (at 2,800 rpm), five forward speeds and one reverse,
The B-60 ST was “a six wheeled, tandem axled tractor” with a gasoline engine, says Doug Maney, and a chassis that weighed 12,070 pounds in total. With a forward-type cab (to allow for maximum visibility for the driver), Mack’s D-42P would have been used as “a city delivery truck” among other purposes, he continues. Commonly used as a mixer, the B-53S had a six-wheel chassis and diesel engine. The B-81SX and B-813SX were six-wheel, heavy duty, tandem axle vehicles while the H-81SX and H-813SX were also heavy duty trucks, often used as mixers. All these trucks were six-cylinder: “That was standard for the day. V8 power didn’t come into play until the late ‘50s,” says Doug Maney.
File Name: Client: Job #: App: Colors:
MACK
Title: Pub: Trim Size: Bleed Size: Close Date:
More_Horses On-Site 8 x 10.875 8.25 x 11.125 07.25.17
VOLVO
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Close Date: 07.25.17 Colors: 4cp
Western Star - A Daimler Group Brand
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MACK
VOCATIONAL TRUCKS
KENWORTH While Kenworth’s legendary Kenworth 853 was introduced in 1947, this vehicle would still have been a popular choice a decade later. The Kenworth 853 was a special purpose truck originally designed to haul pipes and equipment for Middle-East oil projects. The 853 could function in temperatures over 130 degrees Fahrenheit, had side-by-side radiators, 6-wheel drive, a 300-gallon fuel capacity, a 318 hp engine, low-pressure balloon-type tires and a 64,000 pound capacity. Other popular Kenworth vocational trucks from the era included the Models 802-B and 803, both introduced in 1955. Primarily used for earthmoving purposes, the 802-B was a truck-tractor with a dump semitrailer that had a capacity of 32 cubic yards while the 803 had a capacity of 38 cubic yards.
FREIGHTLINER
VOLVO MACK KENWORTH
FREIGHTLINER In 1957, Freightliner had been manufacturing its popular flat-faced, High COE (Cab Over Engine) work trucks for three years. “Freightliner offered a day cab that was only 48 inches from bumper to back of cab—the shortest in the industry—which allowed the largest possible body to be installed for high bulk freight loads,” states the DTNA rep. Freightliner work trucks in 1957 “shared a number of features in common. The cabs were solidly mounted fore and aft to the frame rails. If the engine needed to be worked on, the engine tunnel could be disassembled for access, or the grille was taken off and the engine pulled forward out of the chassis. The Freightliner 90° Tilt Cab would not be introduced until the next year,” he continues. Cab interiors were sheet metal for the most part. Heaters were available though they weren’t particularly powerful. Two interior fans were used to defog windshields. “Freightliner consistently investigated new technologies, some of which in 1957 were air-conditioning, dual fuel capacity with butane injection and the Spicer Synchrovator which replaced the clutch with a torque converter but still required manual shifting,” notes the DTNA rep. At the time, “most of the engines in 1957 were Cummins six-cylinder diesels,” he adds.
For all their flaws, Herb Maney recalls 1957-era work trucks with fondness. “They were functional. They had what it took to get the job done, without any frills,” he states.
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Panama Canal Expansion Project, Panama
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Expanding our company for stronger chemistry MAPEI, an Italy-based global leader in the construction industry since 1937, has introduced high-performance concrete admixtures to the Canadian market by joining forces with North American manufacturer GRT. The result is an enhanced offering of innovative, technology-driven concrete admixtures plus the ongoing ability to custom-manufacture products to meet the unique requirements of our customers. In addition to increasing our reach and product line portfolio, MAPEI/GRT is also expanding its support and production facilities to better serve customers throughout North America. MAPEI/GRT products are routinely used to produce high-performance concrete mixes for performance in all weather conditions. We continually incorporate the latest product technology in fulfilling customer needs and remain focused on developing next-generation chemical admixture products. Whether you are a current or a future customer, you can expect a high level of service, technical support and commitment from this partnership. For details on how we can help you, contact Customer Service at 1-800-42-MAPEI (1-800-426-2734).
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est opia
OLD PRODUCTS
Staff report
EUCLID DIVISION, GENERAL MOTORS CORP., CLEVELAND, OHIO April 25, 1957 Euclid Division of General Motors, Cleveland Ohio, has announced two crawler tractors, The Model C-6 and the improved Twin Power TC-12. Both of these machines have been designed for work with big earthmoving equipment on heavy construction, mining, logging and other projects where large tractors are used. The Model TC-12 is powered by two 218 h.p. GM 6-71 engines. Each engine drives one of the tracks through separate Allison Torqmatic Drives consisting of torque converter and semi-automatic transmission. With a total of 416 h.p. delivered to the power train, the TC-12 is the world’s most powerful crawler. Twin Power design makes each half of the tractor practically a separate unit—each track is driven independently so by putting one track in reverse while the other is driven forward, the TC-12 can make pivot turns. There is no clutch—the operator can change from one of the three forward speed ranges to another under full power by simply moving a selector lever...
It wouldn’t be right to look back at the history of HCN/On-Site without a reference to new-product coverage. Before the Internet came along, product coverage was a staple of the business press and a must for readers. There was no other source of information on the technology available for construction, apart from the occasional brochure and advertising from the dealers themselves. Today, of course, buyers do much of their new-technology research online. On-Site’s new product department today focuses on genuine news items, covering them in brief and pointing our readers at sources of more information online. So here’s a blast from the past— the days when business magazines ran scores of product items at length, accompanied with the inevitable “bingo” card to fulfill reader requests!
“VIBRATING SCREED” FOR STRIKING OFF CONCRETE May 16, 1957 The Stow Manufacturing Co. of Binghamton, New York, has recently developed a “vibrating screed” for striking off concrete pavement. Because of its light weight and easy portability, it is ideal for bridge decks and short sections of highways, where it is impractical to use large paving machines. Excellent slabs are produced by this vibrating screed since it not only strikes off the surface, but it thoroughly vibrates even very stiff concrete at the same time. Heart of the Stow vibrating screed is a 2½ in. diameter vibrator head driven by a 2½ HP gasoline engine at 5,000 vibrations per minute. The vibration is transmitted from the vibrator head evenly throughout the length of steel shod wooden beam directly to the concrete. As the vibrating screed is pulled along by just 2 men, it leaves a smooth true-to grade surface behind. Beams up to 30 ft. in length can be used...
NEW MOTOR SCRAPER September 5, 1957 Allis-Chalmers is expanding its line of motor scrapers with the new hydraulic 7 cu. yd. struck, 9.5 cu. yd. heaped, 12-ton payload, Model TS-160 rated at 155 hp. This new scraper matches power with big scraper strength, and features easy manoeuvring, visibility, speed and economy for a wide range of construction and maintenance jobs, for work in close quarters, for land reclamation and soil conservation projects and wherever a scraper of this size is needed. The TS-160 has an Allis-Chalmers 6 cylinder, 516 cu. in. displacement, supercharged Diesel engine rated 155 hp at 2200 rpm. A one-piece all-steel tractor frame gives rigid support for engine, clutch and transmission and provides easy accessibility to these components for service without disturbing adjacent parts. Final drive housing is an all-steel, precision-welded structure that is stress-relieved and line-bored for true alignment of all gears, shafts and bearings... on-sitemag.com / 61
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OLD PRODUCTS NEW ATECO ROCK RIPPER October 3, 1957 CHOICE OF TRANSMISSIONS September 26, 1957 Buyers of LeTourneau-Westinghouse big “B” Tournapulls now have a choice of transmissions—a torque converter or conventional manual shift type. In releasing the information LeT-WesCo officials state that both are equally available on current production machines. The new torque converter version of the prime mover can be had with any of the standard “B” size interchangeable trailing tools, including the 27-yard Fullpack scraper, 35-ton rear dump or 30-ton mobile crane. According to the firm’s design engineers, introduction of the new torque converter involved much more than simply substituting transmissions. More than 3,000 man hours were spent making related mechanical changes to assure precise balance of associated components. The most important of these changes is the adoption of a bigger 335 horsepower Turbocharged diesel engine as standard equipment for torque converter machines...
CATERPILLAR TRAXCAVATORS November 7, 1957 Two new Traxcavators, designed especially for use on severe and demanding applications, have been announced by Caterpillar Tractor Co. The new machines are the Caterpillar No. 955 (Series E), and Caterpillar No. 977 (Series E) Traxcavator. They have been given design modifications from their corresponding Series C Models intended to adequately match the especially rugged conditions imposed by such jobs as quarry work and logging operations. Prime features of both new machines is a strong undercarriage, with heavy construction incorporated into all undercarriage parts, track roller frames, sprockets, front idlers, track rollers and track carrier rollers. Besides imparting extra machine sturdiness, these features also allow for high ground clearance of the units, and, at the same time, a low centre of gravity. The new Series E Traxcavators also afford long service life and decreased maintenance costs when operating in the severe applications for which they were designed. Both units also have hydraulic track adjusters as standard...
Latest addition to the ATECO line of tractor mounted heavy duty rocker rippers is a 7,025 lb. unit designed especially for EIMCO 105 front loader or dozer tractors. A special ATECO drawbar takes all draft loads, preventing strain on the tractor transmission case. Ripper controls utilize the tractor hydraulic system, and do not interfere with loader or dozer operation. Up to three ripper shanks may be mounted on the heavy-duty head frame. Swivel mounting brackets allow shanks to swing 30°; they follow the tractor like a trailer for effortless steering even while ripping at full depth...
1958 CHEVROLET TRUCKS October 31, 1957 An expanded, widely diversified line of Chevrolet trucks features a rugged new 348-cubic inch V8 of 230 horsepower, many chassis improvements, and more powerful durable sixes and V8’s is announced by General Motors of Canada, Limited. Fresh new front-end styling includes modern dual headlamps and redesigned grille, hood, and fenders. Scheduled for display at dealer showrooms nationally, concurrent with the debut of 1958 Chevrolet passenger cars this week, the new truck line lists 12 new models, for a total of 128, up 10 percent over the number available in 1957. For the first time, Chevrolet will assume body production responsibility for three forward control “Step Van” models.
TRACKS OF OLIVER CRAWLER INDEPENDENTLY POWERED January 7, 1960 Independently powered trucks are offered in a new 62 gross hp crawler tractor—the OC-9—being produced on a large scale by the Oliver Corp. The new tractor’s transmission is unique on crawlers its size, according to the makers. Fully power-assisted, it controls both speed and direction. Powered by a four-cylinder, valve-in-head diesel engine, the OC-9 is rated to deliver 62 gross engine hp, 57 net flywheel hp. The bare tractor weighs 9,675 lb. Maximum drawbar pull is 16,900 lb., which is from 6.6 to 60 percent more than that of other crawlers in its class...
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OLD PRODUCTS ENDURANCE, ECONOMY HIGHLIGHTS OF CANADIAN-BUILT TRUCK March 3, 1961 Only Canadian-built pickup truck expressly designed for Canadian conditions has been introduced by International Harvester Co. of Canada. Known as Model C-99, it is claimed to be the lowestpriced and strongest compact pickup truck now being sold in Canada. The C-99 truck is powered by a 93.4-hp, four-cylinder truck engine with high power output and is said to handle capacity loads at high speeds and with low fuel consumption. Its 107-in. wheelbase is shorter than in standard pickups, thus offering improved manoeuvrability, say the manufacturers...
NEW WHITE BACKHOE-LOADER August 10, 1970 White Construction Equipment’s 2-63 is a heavy-duty, industrial backhoe-loader of completely new design. It has a unitized loader-carrier frame for structural solidity and balance, plus a simple two-lever backhoe control system. The machine carries a 78-in. self-leveling loader bucket with a 4,300 lb capacity and a breakout force of 5,300 lb. The unit has a full 180-deg swing arc, 9 ft 3 in. loading height, 15 ft digging depth, and an overall reach of more than 20 ft.
RUBBER-TIRE CRANE September 25, 1964 Make & model: Lorain Moto-Crane MC-545B. Design & specs: 45-ton capacity has these new features: offset open-throat boom tip; air-operated gantry; revised cab design; double drum boom hoist; and folding boom. Carrier is an 8x4 as standard, and available as a 6X4. Front tandem has solid equalizer beams. All 8 wheels have air brakes; those on front axle or of rear bogie are ‘fail safe’ type, applied automatically if there is loss of air pressure. Swing shaft and hoist shaft drums run on anti-friction bearings. Torque converter is standard equipment, to give precision control and increased hoist line speeds. Write: Thew-Lorain Co., Lorain, Ohio.
FORD TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT SALES CO. FORD LAUNCHES 6 INDUSTRIAL TRACTORS September 3, 1965 A new line, incorporating $3.5 million in design and development engineering of six industrial tractors, including models with matching power equipment designed primarily for industrial jobs features new gasoline and diesel engines, manual reversing and select-o-speed power shifting transmissions along with heavier shock resistant design. New hydraulically-powered backhoe (with reaches for 10 to 15 ft) and loader (with 2,000 to 3,750 lb lifts) units designed for these tractors have up to 25% more capacity than previous units. The line includes two low centre of gravity (LCG) tractors (models 2110 and 4110); four industrial tractors (models 3400, 4400, 3500 and 4500) and a total of six matching backhoe and loader units. The tractors have increased power for grading, scraping, levelling, mowing, trenching, loading, power-take-off applications and rear-hitch towing. Optional features are provided to give maximum versatility for all applications...
MOTOR GRADER May 16, 1983 Galion Manufacturing Division, Dresser Industries Inc., has announced two new all-wheel drive articulated motor graders. They are the A-606 with an operating weight of 14 133 kg (31 200 lb) and a choice of 13.7 or 149.2 kW (186 or 200 hp), and the A-556 with an operating weight of 13 907 kg (30 700 lb) and 119.3 or 130.5 kW (160 or 175 hp).
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SOFTWARE By Jacob Stoller
On-Site at 60 – Looking back at our technology journey
T
he typical construction office has come a long way since On-Site’s early days. “It was pretty bare compared to any offices we have today,” says Gordon Jones, superintendent for Calgary-based Stuart Olson, who joined the industry in 1962. “Air conditioning was something you didn’t even dream about. There were no fax machines, no photocopiers, and of course, no computers or printers.” For supervisors, the land line phone in the trailer was often the only means of communication. “You didn’t have an answering machine or a messaging machine,” says Jones, “so somebody had to just get lucky to get hold of you, or you considered yourself lucky getting hold of them.” “We used to have lots of little pink slips about phoning somebody back,” recalls Ross Grieve, vice chairman and former CEO of Edmonton-based PCL Construction, who joined the industry in 1969. “There was a lot more walking up and down stairs or going back to the office to talk to people, or having meetings to deal with things.” On large projects, coordinating people and information was a momentous task. “You had a large group of people with pencils and papers doing calculations,” recalls Brian Blackman, site supervisor with Toronto-based EllisDon, recalling his first days at the firm working on the Rogers Centre (SkyDome) project in 1986. “There were constant meetings in the trailer with subcontractors, lots of hand sketches, so it was very much hands on, face to face.” Number crunching was incredibly labour intensive. “The business calculators we had looked like one-armed bandit slot machines,” says Seamus McDonnell, VP, preconstruction services at Stuart Olson, who joined the industry in 1975, “and they were pretty limited. So we had people called “checkers” whose sole job was to check the calculations done by estimators. That’s what they did from morning to night.” Many accounting tasks were also handled manually in the field. “You went into a town with your P.O. book and you set up accounts,” says Jones. “We wrote things out, and there were no credit cards. So things were very different.” Drawings, of course, were created by hand, and reproduced mechanically through slow and expensive processes. Large firms had substantial libraries of hard copy drawings and job specs that were maintained by full-time staff. On jobsites, drawings were often created on the spot. “We drafted up details by hand,” says Jones. “If you wanted a copy, you used carbon paper. If you wanted two or three copies, well, then you pressed harder on the pen or pencil, and hopefully
it could come through clear enough. Because otherwise, you’d have to do it all over again.”
A DIFFERENT WORLD Today, communication is immeasurably faster and far more frequent, drawings and specs are easily shared, records are readily accessible from anywhere, and many repetitive administrative tasks have disappeared. In the current business environment, quick answers are no longer a luxury, but a necessity. “With today’s cost of material and wages, every hour on the job is so expensive that you can’t afford to sit for a couple of days waiting for an answer,” says Blackman. The challenge of keeping current with technology while keeping it relevant to the business, however, is a significant one. “When you have a bunch of construction executives trying to evaluate business technology, it’s not where we came from,” says Grieve. “We’re builders, engineers, tradespeople who have moved through the business. We’re not business technology developers or analysts.” The newer methods of working also bring challenges of their own. “The ability to punch out drawings has become less menial,” says Grieve, “but the thinking part is sometimes lacking. Just because you’ve got CAD and computer aided design doesn’t mean that the quality of design is better. I worry that particularly when you get into the heavy industrial side such as refineries, you really need some good thinking going on.” “We’ve probably lost the talent of being able to draw or sketch something that a tradesman might understand,” says Blackman. “Today, it’s just the old cut and paste – find the typical detail, and throw it on the front of a drawing, and hopefully that works for everybody.” Clearly, there are valuable lessons to be learned from construction professionals who once did their jobs without technology, and firms would be well-advised to heed their advice before they retire. Ultimately, it’s about not losing sight of what built this industry in the first place. “Overall, the advances are positive,” says Grieve. “If you really are vigilant to understand them, and make sure that you’re in control of them and they’re not in control of you, then it’s a positive.”
Jacob Stoller is principal of StollerStrategies. Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com on-sitemag.com / 65
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RISK By David Bowcott
Construction – Then (1957) and Now (2017)
S
ome say construction is on the precipice of massive change. Others believe the next decade will render the industry unrecognizable. The future is always fun to imagine and we shall see whether growing trends like globalization, asset management, massive technology adoption, and sustainability bring forward the greatest transformation of one of the world’s oldest industries. How about the past? How much has construction changed over the last 60 years? Some might say it hasn’t changed enough, but it clearly looks different to the industry we saw in 1957. The following are some high level differences found within the industry when comparing construction circa 1957 to the construction of present day: Size of Job – Throughout time there has always been the mega-project, however, the volume of what we would classify as mega-project (inflation adjusted) has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Private sector and public sector projects have significantly grown in size since the 1950s as owners believe size matters when it comes to procurement efficiency. Delivery Model – The primary delivery model of the 1950s was design-bid-build. The design firm partnered with the owner and the contractor bid to the owners design. Today we see a myriad of delivery models being used as owners, design firms, and contractors try to find the perfect risk allocation that ensures on-time, on-budget and optimal operational results. Since 1974 CCDC has been adding new contract forms that fundamentally changed the traditional 1957 construction contract framework, so owners, design firms and contractors have optionality around the way in which they design and build their construction projects. Most recently CCDC introduced its new Integrated Project Delivery contract to the Canadian market place. Vertical Integration – The traditional design-bid-build model of the 1950s kept all players in their silos. Design firms did design, construction firms did construction and the supply chain focused on their individual specialty. Over time we have seen greater experimentation with integration of the design, construction and supply chain sectors as the industry as a whole attempts to adapt to the myriad of new delivery models being brought forward. Horizontal Integration – In today’s construction market place you can’t go a day without hearing the term “lifecycle.” Asset management continues to expand as we see delivery models, like P3s, integrating the design, build and operations phases of an
asset’s life. To keep up with this trend you see contractors developing construction phase services (sometimes vertically integrated) and operations phase services. Such horizontal de-siloing strategies were rarely, if ever, contemplated in the 1950s. Domestic vs. Global Industry – In the 1950s construction was very much a local industry. Contractors tended to stick to their local municipality and there were very few construction contractors that operated in multiple provinces. In today’s economy the construction contractor has gone global with some having operations in more than 100 countries worldwide. Globalization of the construction sector has been massive over the past three decades and is showing no signs of slowing. Construction Company Roles – The roles within the 1950s construction contractor’s operations tended to be very straight forward – basically estimating and project management. Today’s construction contractors have roles that were rarely/never contemplated in the ‘50s, including business development, legal, risk managers, equity services, quality control/quality assurance, intelligence/technology officers, safety managers, human resources, etc. The complexity of the modern construction industry has forced many construction contractors to expand their operational roles in order to ensure they remain profitable.
How much has construction changed over the last 60 years? The above are a sampling of the changes we’ve witnessed within the construction sector over the past six decades. As mentioned, many believe our sector has been changing at a snail’s pace, and in the next 10 years expect to witness a rapid transformation. Whatever happens, change is guaranteed. Those companies that are prepared to adapt, will be well positioned to take full advantage of new opportunities that invariably come with change.
David Bowcott is Global Director – Growth, Innovation & Insight, Global Construction and Infrastructure Group at Aon Risk Solutions. Please send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com.
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ADVERTISERS’ INDEX & WEBSITES Adrian Steel......................... www.adriansteel.com/ladder-racks................42
Leica Geosystems................. www.leica.gs/ExcavatorChallenge..................11
Bobcat................................. www.Bobcat.com/NewR-Series.......................19
Mapei................................... www.mapei.com.................................48, 49, 60
Canadian Concrete Expo...... www.CanadianConcreteExpo.com...................37
PCL...................................... www.PCL.com.................................................33
CMiC.................................... www.cmicglobal.com........................................9
Petro Canada....................... www.duronthetougherthebetter.com...............52
Detroit Diesel....................... www.demanddetroit.com/engines/DD8...........54
SMS Equipment.................... www.smsequip.com........................................67
Doosan Infracore.................. www.DoosanEquipment.com/Excavator............6
TD Bank............................... www.tdcommercialbanking.com/equipment......23
Federal-Mogel Motorparts.... www.wagnerbrake.ca......................................59
Uline.................................... www.uline.ca..................................................41
Ford...................................... www.ford.ca......................................................4
Viewpoint............................. www.viewpoint.com........................................25
Freightliner.......................... www.Freightliner.com.......................................2
Volvo Construction............... www.volvoce.com/ActiveCareDirect................45
InSite Software..................... www.insitesoftware.com.................................41
Volvo Trucks......................... DoWork.VolvoTrucks.ca..............................15, 64
Komatsu............................... www.komatsuamerica.com.............................28
Western Star......................... www.westernstar.com.....................................57
Kubota Engines.................... www.KubotaEngine.com/Success...................39
World of Asphalt................... www.worldofasphalt.com................................63
LBX Linkbelt......................... www.lbxco.com...............................................30
World of Concrete................. www.worldofconcrete.com..............................35
on-sitemag.com / 67
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CONTRACTORS & THE LAW By Matthew Swanson
TRAK Energy Corp. vs. Happy Valley A cautionary tale for builders’ lien claimants
C
laims of builders’ lien filed under the BC Builders Lien its claim was really a simple debt and builder’s lien claim. In Act (BLA) are a common, though extraordinary remfact, the central theme of TRAK’s appeal was that it was unjust edy in construction disputes. When such a claim is for TRAK to be denied the opportunity to pursue a debt claim it made, the lien claimant must strictly comply with the had purportedly documented. requirements of the BLA. Thereafter, the lien claimant must The Court of Appeal dismissed TRAK’s appeal. In doing so, commence an action to enforce its claim within one year of filing the Court of Appeal noted while TRAK’s claim was for a signifithe lien on title to the project lands. In addition to these requirecant amount and while TRAK’s claim was important to it, TRAK’s ments, the recent decision of the Court of Appeal for British excuses for failing to prosecute the action were insufficient. TRAK Columbia in TRAK Energy Corporation vs. Happy Valley, 2017 was given ample opportunity to advance its claim, but instead BCCA 201, emphasizes once an action to enforce a lien has been of doing so, it made a business decision to focus its energies on commenced, the other matters. As lien claimant must noted by the Court “that may well have been the wise thing to do from a proceed expediof Appeal, “that tiously and with may well have been commercial perspective, but it did not relieve TRAK dispatch to prosethe wise thing to do from the obligation to move forward with its claim.” cute its action. from a commercial The pertinent perspective, but facts in this case it did not relieve July of 2007, TRAK Energy are straightforward. In TRAK from the obligation to move forward with its claim.” Corporation filed a claim of builders’ lien in the approxAs for TRAK’s other argument that there was no prejudice, imate amount of $720,000 against a development project the Court of Appeal focused on Happy Valley’s defence, including being constructed by Happy Valley Resort Ltd. Shortly thereafits assertions that TRAK had made misrepresentations and its ter, TRAK commenced an action against Happy Valley, alleging work contained defects and deficiencies. The Court of Appeal that a debt was owing and seeking a declaration of lien. Happy recognized each of these matters would have required the parties Valley defended the claim and filed a counter claim, alleging, to give testimony regarding events that occurred between 2005 among other things, misrepresentations by TRAK and defects and and 2007, and because of TRAK’s delay in advancing the action, deficiencies in its work. Based on the pleadings, what was said memories were presumed to have faded. and done on the development site was a critical component of the The decision of TRAK Energy Corporation v Happy Valley is action. a cautionary tale. Claims of Builders Lien are not meant to be Over the span of the next five years, TRAK took small, strategic tools to tie up property for extended periods of time procedural steps in the action, with the last step being taken in without taking the matter to trial or a hearing. Where such claims 2013. Then, after a two-year period where TRAK took no steps are not prosecuted expeditiously and with dispatch, they may be in the action, Happy Valley applied to the BC Supreme Court to dismissed without there ever being a hearing on the merits. As in have TRAK’s claim dismissed for want of prosecution. The court the case of TRAK Energy Corporation v Happy Valley, where there found that there had been an inordinate and inexcusable delay is an inordinate and inexcusable delay that causes prejudice, a and also found prejudice by virtue of the fact that memories had claim can be dismissed for want of prosecution. faded. In these circumstances, the BC Supreme Court dismissed TRAK’s claim for want of prosecution. Matthew Swanson is a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP TRAK appealed the decision of the BC Supreme Court, citing (BLG) and practices in the area of commercial litigation. Linda number of alleged issues with the lower court’s decision. It sey von Bloedau is an associate lawyer at BLG and practices in argued its delay was excusable because it was involved in other the area of construction litigation. Send comments to editor@ business pursuits and a companion piece of litigation. It also on-sitemag.com argued there could not be prejudice to Happy Valley because
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2017-10-05 AM 2017-08-09 11:55 9:24 AM
Ready. Set. slow.
Introducing the new I-Shift with Crawler Gears from Volvo Trucks. It allows drivers to travel at speeds as slow as 0.6 miles per hour and maintain a precise, controlled roll. It’s an ideal automated transmission for applications like pouring curbs or laying asphalt, where low speeds are crucial to doing the job right. See the new standard in powertrains: DoWork.VolvoTrucks.ca
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Volvo Trucks. Driving Progress
2017-01-27 11:55 2:12 PM 2017-10-05 AM