AIL's MSE Structural Walls help meet tough deadline.
Our MSE Structural Walls as bridge abutments helped the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways finish an important job on time and on budget. AIL proposed a value-engineered steel solution on a job initially designed for precast concrete facing. With AIL's MSE Structural Wall System, we were able to provide an economical solution for the job along with meeting some pretty tight timelines.
Two bridges, four walls and a waiting mall.
AIL provided four bridge abutments for two bridges on the Mission Valley Interchange in British Columbia, a 35-metre bridge on busy Highway #11 and a 16-metre bridge on London Avenue. Work had to move quickly to meet the mid-September deadline of a mall opening on the roadway above the bridges and when AIL joined the team, things were already behind schedule.
Done in a fraction of the time of concrete.
Concrete panels would have taken four to six weeks to supply while AIL had the first shipment of its product on site within 10 days and construction was completed 21 days later. The Ministry of Transportation and Highways, as well as the owners of the Mission Valley Shopping Centre Limited, needed quick supply, minimal construction time, and the ability to pour a facing at a later date. AIL met these requirements and didn't encroach on Highway #11 at all while the walls were being erected. This meant no traffic disruption for this major route.
Flexibility was key.
Gerry Ham, P. Eng., of GCL Contracting and Engineering, general contractors on the job, recognized that AIL had to find quick solutions to problems along the way.
"AIL substituted and modified the design as the job progressed, allowing us to function in an extremely tight timetable."
Dave Scouten, P. Eng., principal partner in Scouten and Associates Engineering Ltd., structural sub-contractor on the job, was enthusiastic about AIL's part in the project.
"AIL really helped us with a very compressed schedule. We had to make a change midstream because of time constraints and, even though we will need to put a concrete facing on the Wire Walls later this year to make the bridge look the same as all other existing Transportation and Highways projects, we were able to get necessary construction completed on schedule. This would not have been possible had we waited for pre-cast concrete elements in the fall."
And, an engineering award for our partners.
AIL designed, supplied, and provided site inspection services for this Mission, B.C. project. And the project was nominated for a Consulting Engineers of B.C. Quality Management Award for Engineering Excellence. An impressive job with a small window of time.
|
