Companies at work: AECOM in Waterloo, Hatch in B.C., Tetra Tech in Quebec City

As part of the GrandLinq PPP consortium, AECOM has been awarded a contract for the new 11-kilometre ION light-rail transit (LRT) system between the cities of Waterloo and Kitchener in southwest Ontario. The GrandLinq PPP will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the at-grade system for a US $23 million contract. The project includes 19 stops, 13 traction power stations and an operations and maintenance facility. There will also be construction of a major grade separation for a future intermodal transit station. AECOM is the design lead and will be responsible for detailed design, including track, civil, utitilies, architecture, structural, landscape, systems and environmental services. See “Waterloo Region set to build its first light rapid transit.”

Hatch is managing construction of two major transmission projects in British Columbia. BC Hydro commissioned Hatch to manage all construction stage contracts for the Northwest Transmission Line (NTL) project and the Interior to Lower Mainland (ILM) project in 2011. The NTL project is nearing completion and consists of a 344-km 287 kV transmission line from Terrace, going north to Bob Quinn Lake. It provides a secure interconnection point for clean energy generation projects in Northwestern B.C. The ILM project is approximately half way through construction. It consists of a 247-km, 500 kV line from Merritt to Coquitlam. It will expand the capacity of the transmission system that brings power from the north and southern interior of the province to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. The combined capital cost of the two projects is almost $1.5 billion.

Tetra Tech has provided design, final specifications and work supervision for the new 4,100-sq.m, three-storey pavilion at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec. Constructing the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion involved excavating a basement to a depth of 12 metres immediately next to a church and a rectory, and underpinning the historical structures. Located next to the Grande Allée, the pavilion will serve as a gateway to the museum and adds six exhibition galleries. It is set to open in 2015.