Project Round-Up: CH2M HILL, HMM, Excelsior, MMM

CH2M HILL Canada has won a contract with the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to study the feasibility of a fixed link between Gabriola Island and Vancouver Island. Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands, located about five kilometres east of Nanaimo in the Strait of Georgia. The fixed link would replace a 20-minute BC Ferries ride to the island, which has a population of around 4,000 people.

Hatch Mott MacDonald has been hired to do technical consultant services for a $365-million Metrolinx project to upgrade the signalling system of Toronto’s Union Station rail corridor. The project involves upgrading the 80-year old system on a corridor that runs over 6 kilometres long across the bottom of downtown Toronto, containing 40 kilometres of track, with as many as 16 tracks running alongside each other at some points. There are 228 signals and 221 track switches. Upgrading the system will improve the flow of trains, reduce operating costs, and enable GO Transit, the suburban surface train network, to prepare for a doubling of ridership over the next 10 to 20 years. Alstom Transport and Plan Group are also involved. Work begins this year, with completion by 2019.

Excelsior Engineering has been selected by Pembina Pipeline Corporation to provide engineering services for the construction of the Canadian Diluent Hub. The large-scale condensate and diluent terminal is located at Pembina’s Heartland Terminal site near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.

On December 5, Phase 1 of the Mississauga Transitway (“MiWay”) had its official grand opening at Dixie Station celebrating the completion of four stations. When it is completed in 2017, the 460-million dedicated corridor will be 18 kilometres long with 12 stations. It runs east-west across the city west of Toronto. MMM Group has been involved in the project since the 1980s, helping with planning, environmental approvals, and preliminary and detailed design. The company is currently providing construction management for the east section.

Official Opening of Mississauga Transitway (MiWay) Phase I at Dixie Station. Photograph: City of Mississauga/Mike Douglas.

Official Opening of Mississauga Transitway (MiWay) Phase I at Dixie Station. Photograph: City of Mississauga/Mike Douglas.