Ultra•Cor breaks new ground in Corner Brook, NL
With span and height of cover capabilities greater than 30 m, Ultra•Cor is the world’s strongest structural plate and just one of AIL’s exciting new products. Our teams had been eagerly awaiting the first Ultra•Cor installation and that opportunity came with the Massey Drive Interchange project about 5 km west of Corner Brook.
Grade separation serves dual purposes
The city’s new water treatment plant is located along the TransCanada Highway, which is undergoing a twinning upgrade. The grade separation is required to allow access to the facility and will also serve as a major snowmobile trail underpass. AIL was contracted to design and supply an Ultra•Cor Arch and MSE Precast Panel Walls for the project.
Unique clearance box geometry required
To meet the grade requirements for the service road, a unique clearance box geometry was required. AIL’s veteran manufacturing team in Dorchester, NB worked closely with our technical sales and engineering teams to ensure the project ran smoothly with the new product.
Because of the challenges expected with our first Ultra•Cor structure, we engaged the highly-experienced team at Atlantic Underground Services to assemble the 55 m structure. Their crew was invaluable in keeping the project on schedule with quick solutions to any situations that arose. Take a video tour of this completed project >>
Assembled in 20 days
With the concrete foundations ready and the steel onsite, the 320-plate structure was assembled in just 20 days, even though the early December weather impacted the schedule. The best day saw 40 plates installed individually on the standing structure.
The harsh winter conditions of Newfoundland’s West Coast prevented the backfilling from being completed until the spring of 2012. Traffic was flowing smoothly again in mid-July 2012, to the delight of the local Members of the House of Assembly…
“The extension of the divided highway between the Massey Drive Interchange and the Corner Brook Industrial Access Road is a welcome project in this region. This region is continuing to grow and this new section of divided highway will help provide more efficient access to Corner Brook’s industrial area and more importantly, to the site of the new Western Memorial Regional Hospital. This is truly great news.”
— Honourable Tom Marshall, Minister of Finance and MHA for Humber East
“I am pleased to see that our government is continuing to address the transportation needs of our province. Completing this section of divided highway will be of great benefit to residents and businesses in Corner Brook and the entire West Coast region. I am certainly looking forward to its completion.”
— Vaughn Granter, MHA for Humber West
