Project News: a university residence, a potash plant and a bridge

Oscar Peterson Hall is a new $26-million residence at the University of Toronto’s Mississauga Campus. Officially opened on March 5, the 423-bed residence is named after the legendary jazz musician who was a longtime resident of Mississauga and a Companion of the Order of Canada. The building is the campus’s eighth student residence and includes a dining hall for 275 people. Cannon Design were the architects, Halcrow Yolles were the structural engineers, and Vandewesten & Rutherford were the mechanical-electrical engineers.

AMEC has been awarded a new contract with PotashCorp at the Rocanville Potash mine in Saskatchewan. The four-year contract is for providing engineering and project management services for a $1.8 billion expansion of the mine. The new facilities will enable the production of an additional two million tonnes of potash per year. The AMEC news releases explains that potash, which is used in fertilizers, is coming under increasing demand thanks to the world’s rising population and requirement for protein rich diets.

SNC-Lavalin will design and construct the Coast Meridian Overpass to join two sections of the city of Port Coquitlam, B.C. The $94.5-million project includes a 580-metre long cable stayed bridge to pass over the CP Railway yards, linking north and south Port Coquitlam. It will have two lanes of traffic in each direction as well as sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Following a sod-turning in January, the project is slated to be ready by January 2010.