trenchless project in Canada

The 2022 Top Trenchless Engineering Firms in Canada Part 2

Since Trenchless Technology Canada is a Canadian-focused publication, we wanted to break down the Top 50 Trenchless Engineering Firms in North America list and highlight the firms doing work across Canada.

Since 1996, Trenchless Technology has presented its list of the Top 50 Trenchless Engineering Firms in North America. Starting in July, Trenchless Technology contributing editor Andrew Farr contacted trenchless engineering firms across the continent to submit surveys to compile this list. This helps tell the tale of the size of the trenchless construction sector in North America.

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The Top 50 list ranks firms by their overall North American revenue.

For the second year, as part of the overall Top 50 survey, we asked the firms to also include separate revenue data for Canada, Mexico and the United States. We used this subset of data to create the list you see here of the Top Trenchless Engineering Firms in Canada.

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Also included in our list is where the firms rank among the Top 50 Trenchless Engineering Firms in North America. For reference, we’ve also included a column that indicates a firm’s reported Canadian revenue from last year’s list.

RELATED: Click this link to view the complete list of the 2022 Top 50 Trenchless Engineering Firms in North America.

We realize this is not a complete list and that there are many engineering firms working in the trenchless field across Canada. We hope that this is something we can build on in the future as more Canadian trenchless engineering firms complete the survey. Only firms that indicated revenue for Canada are included here.

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Farr coordinates the survey for Trenchless Technology he can be reached at afarr@benjaminmedia.com. If you’re a firm that does trenchless work in Canada and are not included on this list, email Mike Kezdi, managing editor, at mkezdi@benjaminmedia.com.

The complete North American Top 50 list can read in the 2022 December issue of Trenchless Technology or online at trenchlesstechnology.com/2022-top-50-trenchless-engineers-survey.

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Canada’s Top Trenchless Projects

In years past – as a tie-in to our focus on trenchless engineering across Canada – we’ve had a roundtable discussion with engineers working in Canada.
Those stories can be read here:

2021: trenchlesstechnology.com/2021-trenchless-qa-a-look-at-trenchless-engineering-in-canada

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2020: trenchlesstechnology.com/trenchless-qa-a-look-at-engineering-in-canada

This year, we decided we’d go a different route. We asked all the engineering firms that listed Canadian revenue to submit a spotlight project that they were involved with. We asked that the project be on that was part of their reported Canadian Total Trenchless Net Revenue for 2021 Labour Hours (or last fiscal year).

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You’ll find those spotlight projects below. Only the firms that responded to the request are included in this review.

Top Trenchless projects in Canada

Jacobs

Project: Yonge Street Culvert Rehabilitation and Overflow Tunnel

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Where the Project Took Place: Newmarket, Ontario (York Region)

Jacobs Yonge Street culvert

Your Company’s Role in the Project: Jacobs was the prime consultant for this project, responsible for preliminary design, detailed design, tender preparation, and engineering support during construction.

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Date Project Completed: June 2022

Why This Project Is Notable: In fall 2021 through summer 2022, York Region rehabilitated a 125-m long box culvert under Yonge Street. in Newmarket with the installation of a fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) structural liner and the construction of a new 2.0 m diameter overflow tunnel pipe. The custom FRP liner was tailored to the existing rectangular host culvert and minimized the size of the overflow tunnel required to convey flood events at the site, which in turn avoided significant conflicts with a high pressure watermain, a sanitary sewer and a gas main present under Yonge Street. The solution also minimized impacts on traffic, adjacent private properties and recently installed bus rapid transit infrastructure directly above the culvert. This project is a notable example of multiple specialty trenchless technologies being leveraged to find the optimal solution for the renewal of public infrastructure under extremely constrained site conditions.

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R.V. Anderson Associates Limited

Name of Project: Utilizing a trenchless solution to repair a 400-mm diameter HDPE watermain

Where the Project Took Place: The Town of New Tecumseth

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R.V. Anderson Associates Limited HDPE watermain

Your Company’s Role: R.V. Anderson Associates Limited (RVA) was retained for as the rehabilitation/trenchless designers, contract administrator and fall time site inspection.

Date Project Completed: November 2021

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Why This Project Is Notable: This was a unique project due to its challenges, locating the leak in a deep buried HDPE pipe under a river and finding the right solution and technology to fix the problem without sinking a shaft. Primus Line was the solution as it’s the only lining product available at the time that can be used to line a HDPE watermain, is NSF61 approved and does not require any curing. It is a flexible hose and was able to go through 45-degree bends. One temporary shaft was needed. The pipe was cleaned and inspected with a CCTV water-only camera and the primus line hose was successfully pulled through and inflated. Specialized connectors were installed to hold the liner in place both at the drain chamber and the HDPE pipe at the temporary shaft. The watermain was filled, pressured tested and disinfected and finally put back into operations. All told, the construction took approximately a week.

Stantec

Name of Project: The Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP)

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Where the Project Took Place: Alberta and British Columbia

Stantec TMEP

Your Company’s Role: Stantec supports the TMEP in multiple capacities including overseeing construction of the trenchless crossings, geotechnical and environmental engineering services and more.

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Date Project Completed: In progress with an estimated completion in December 2023.

Why This Project Is Notable: The Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP) parallels more than 1,200 km of existing pipeline built in 1953 — the only west coast link for Western Canada’s oil. TMEP consists of approximately 980 km of NPS 36 and NPS 42 pipeline, 11 pump stations, three berths and the addition of 19 storage tanks. The new pipeline generally twins the existing pipeline in Alberta and British Columbia. The pipeline will extend from existing facilities in Edmonton, Alberta, to Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, British Columbia. TMEP includes more than 65 major trenchless crossings, including a 4.3-km hard rock tunnel, as well as well over 500 shorter trenchless crossings, utilizing a wide range of trenchless construction methodologies. These crossings are performed in diverse topographical settings ranging from prairies and deltas to mountain ranges, and geological conditions ranging from soft marine clay to extremely hard rock formations.

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T2 Utility Engineers

Name of Project: Lakeshore Road West

Where the Project Took Place: Mississauga, Ontario (Region of Peel)

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T2 Utility Engineers Lakeshore Road West

Your Company’s Role: T2 Utility Engineers (T2ue) completed a subsurface utility engineering (SUE) investigation in accordance with CI/ASCE 38 Standard Guidelines for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data, for the Region of Peel.

Date Project Completed: 2020-2021

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Why This Project Is Notable: Stantec was retained by the Region to complete the detailed design of:

  • A deep gravity trunk sewer along Lakeshore Road from Elmwood Avenue to Jack Darling Sewage Pumping Station (SPS) and a gravity sewer on Pine Avenue South from Lakeshore Road West to Ben Machree SPS.
  • The siting of a new sewage lift station at Jack Darling Park.
  • The eventual decommissioning of the Front Street, Ben Machree and Richards Memorial sanitary pumping stations.
  • A new zone 1W, 600-mm diameter sub transmission main (+/- 3.1km) along Lakeshore Road from the Lorne Park Water Treatment Plant to Front Street.
  • Replacement of a local distribution 400 mm diameter watermain (+/- 900m) along Lakeshore Road West from Whittier Crescent to Shawnmarr Road.

Stantec then retained the services of CIMA+ to complete the detailed design of the watermain needs listed above. In addition, Stantec was retained by the Region to complete an environmental assessment to extend the sub-transmission main and trunk sewer under the Credit River by approximately 100 m.

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Mike Kezdi is the managing editor of Trenchless Technology Canada.

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