BC Hydro has completed the preliminary engineering design work for the relocation and realignment of Highway 29, a key component of construction on the Site C hydroelectric dam project in northeastern British Columbia.
"The BC Hydro Site C Project will have an impact on local roads accessing the new dam site and the reservoir created will flood portions of Highway 29 between Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope," said a spokesperson for the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) in an email. "Improvements and realignments of Highway 29 and associated side roads are being completed through a partnership between BC Hydro and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The projects are funded by BC Hydro and will be jointly delivered between the two agencies."
The $8.3-billion Site C project will be an earthfill dam, which is about 1,100 metres in length and about 60 metres high above the Peace River. The reservoir will be about 83 kilometres long and will be, on average, two to three times the width of the current river.
Highway 29 connects Hudson’s Hope to Fort St. John and runs along the north side of the Peace River. The flooding of the river valley by the Site C dam reservoir will require the realignment of about 30 kilometres of Highway 29 between Charlie Lake and Hudson’s Hope.
According to the MoTI, the project team is undertaking field investigations and analysis to finalize alignments, bridge and roadwork design for the construction at six locations along Highway 29. The definition design has resulted in three preferred alignments at Lynx Creek, Farrell Creek and Halfway River segments. In addition, there are three corridors in which an alignment will be determined pending further analysis at Bear Flat/Cache Creek, Farrell Creek East and Dry Creek.
The flooding of the Bear Flat/Cache Creek segment will require the relocation of about 8.5 kilometres of highway. It would cross Cache Creek with a 200 metre bridge and a 240 metre causeway. The realignment of the segment within the preferred corridor is subject to further geotechnical investigation.
About four kilometres of highway will be flooded by the reservoir at the Halfway River segment. The preferred realignment would follow the reservoir shoreline and cross over the Halfway River with a 300 metre bridge and a 650 metre causeway. Up to six kilometres will be relocated at the Farrell Creek East segment, which is located within the preliminary stability and erosion impact lines for the Site C reservoir. Additional geotechnical investigation is required to confirm the length of highway realignment.
All realignments have been developed and designed by BC Hydro and the MoTI, who expect the first realignment segment to be at Bear-Flats/Cache Creek. BC Hydro and MoTI are planning to put this contract out to tender in 2017.
Construction of these segments along Highway 29 is scheduled to begin in summer 2017 and complete in the fall of 2021.
In the meantime, the MoTI said a $ 7.9-million road work project is underway to improve access to the Site C construction site through the rural roads immediately south of Fort St. John.
The contract for this roadbuilding work has been awarded to A.L. Sims and Sons from Prince George. It includes:
- Rebuilding, widening and paving 1.6 kilometres of Road 240;
- rebuilding, widening and paving 900 metres of Road 269;
- widening, resurfacing and partially realigning 5.6 kilometres of Old Fort Road; and
- installing street lights at various intersections.
BC Hydro selected Peace River Hydro Partners as the preferred proponent for the Site C main civil works contract in November 2015.
Main civil works is the largest single contract for the construction of the Site C project and includes the construction of an earthfill dam, two diversion tunnels and a concrete foundation for the generating station and spillways.
About 1,500 people will be working on main civil works at the peak of construction. Other upcoming major construction contracts on the Site C project include: the Highway 29 realignment, turbines and generators, generating station and spillways, as well as substation and transmission lines.
Morgan Construction and Environmental Ltd. was awarded a contract by BC Hydro in July 2015 for preparation activities on the north bank of the Site C dam site. The scope of work includes:
constructing about seven kilometres of access roads;
excavating about two million cubic metres of material;
producing and stockpiling about 100,000 cubic metres of aggregate material for use by other contractors at the dam site; and
clearing and grubbing of about 55 hectares.
Work under this contract started in August 2015 and is scheduled for completion by the end of June 2016. This work was required to prepare the site for the start of main civil works in early 2016.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed