Construction crews are out in full force along the route of the $5.996 billion SkyTrain rapid transit expansion project between the cities of Surrey and Langley, B.C.
Early works for the project began a year ago and road and sidewalk removals started in early May.
Workers are moving aerial and underground utilities to make way for construction activities and equipment and doing tests for station structures. Guideway columns are visible at multiple station sites.
The transformative project will extend the Expo Line 16 kilometres along the Fraser Highway from King George SkyTrain Station in Surrey to Langley City Centre Station. The aim of the link is to improve regional connections and provide fast, frequent and reliable transit service for people and businesses across Metro Vancouver, especially south of the Fraser River.
The Surrey Langley SkyTrain is the first major rapid transit project south of the Fraser in 30 years.
“Once complete, passengers will be able to travel from Langley City Centre to King George Station in about 22 minutes, and from Langley to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver in about an hour,” explains Dave Crebo, communications director at the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit.
“Active construction is underway along the entire 16-kilometres route, with guideway and station construction taking place concurrently.”
The project is expected to serve a daily weekday ridership of 56,000 in the opening year, increasing to 80,000 by 2050.
This year, construction is focused on foundations for roughly 200 guideway piers and columns.
Presently, crews are relocating gas, water, storm, sanitary, electrical, and telecommunication lines and installing new utilities that will power the SkyTrain. The project entails significant excavation work and digging trenches. Other work includes median and sidewalk removal, road widening to accommodate construction as well as changes to intersections and traffic patterns.
Drilling and pile driving activities, as well as testing, will also take place to support the structures and foundations for the elevated guideway and stations.
Concrete segments for the elevated guideway are being produced at a dedicated precast concrete facility at 195 Street and 24 Avenue in Surrey. The facility includes steel buildings, utility connections and a concrete plant. The first segment that will form the guideway was poured in April.
As the project progresses, column and pier construction will advance and crews will begin casting more than 4,400 segments that form the guideway. Four gantry launchers, which are purpose-built cranes to build the guideway, will be assembled to lift and put the segments in place.
The guideway segments will start arriving by trucks to supply the gantry launchers on the SkyTrain route.
Eight new stations are being built. They are Green Timbers Station, 152 Street Station, Fleetwood Station, Bakerview-166 Street Station, Hillcrest-184 Street Station, Clayton Station, Willowbrook Station, and Langley City Centre Station.
The gantry launchers will be at 152 Street, Bakerview-166 Street and Hillcrest-184 Street stations.
Crews are preparing the various sites. Work for the foundations include drilling and pile driving, rebar and concrete installation. The formwork is then installed, and concrete is poured to create the piers.
During construction, Fraser Highway will be reduced to a single lane in each direction and cyclists will be rerouted to multi-use paths. Pedestrians will be rerouted around construction areas as well. Access to businesses will be maintained throughout construction and signs will be in place to direct motorists.
There is expected to be an increase of vibration near construction activities, including from equipment movement and foundation construction, but the level of noise will be monitored, says the province.
“The SkyTrain alignment runs through a busy urban corridor, so construction is carefully managed to minimize impacts on residents and businesses, with strong co-ordination between the three contractors delivering the project,” explains Crebo.
Guideway construction is already underway at Green Timbers, 152 Street and Fleetwood stations and utility work and work on the guideway has started at the Bakerview to Hillcrest stations.
Between the Clayton and Langley City Centre Stations, utility work is underway to make way for the stations and SkyTrain structures, along with site preparation for the foundations and piers.
At Clayton Station, pile driving is underway, and at Willowbrook, site preparation, grading and guideway foundation construction are in progress. At Langley City Centre Station, pile driving is slated to begin and continue throughout the summer.
The entire segment is expected to be in operation by late 2029.
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