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Month: April 2023

Associated Engineering at Canadian Network of Asset Managers 2023 National Conference

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

Associated Engineering is proud to be a supporting sponsor of this year’s Canadian Network of Asset Managers 2023 National Conference taking place next week in Fredericton, NB! The three day program will focus on the theme of Crafting Resilient Communities. Once again, we are pleased to share that several of our staff will be leading and presenting in workshops and technical breakout sessions, and we invite attendees to hear from our asset management experts.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Workshop A: Building a Maintenance Management Plan
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Marysville B
Presenter: Mike Binns

Maintenance Management Plans are an important component of effective asset management, as they contain a means of getting organized so that necessary maintenance activities are scheduled and performed at the right time and in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Maintenance Management Plans play an important role in extending asset life. To build a robust plan, it is important to have the following components in the plan: An established goal for maintenance; Priorities established for critical and non-critical infrastructure; Maintenance schedules and what is required; Training for staff; Proper reporting and tracking; and Understanding when replacement of assets become a reality. In this workshop, we will explore the concepts of a maintenance management strategy, prioritization of critical assets, developing a schedule and reporting system. We will step through a maintenance management evaluation tool and discuss opportunities for improving evaluation area scores. The workshop, will be interactive and will begin to develop a maintenance management strategy considering criticality, failure modes, and standard operating procedures. The workshop will be hands on so be prepared to bring a pen and paper and to work together in teams.


Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Workshop D: AM Software: Planning, Procurement, Implementation, & Lessons Learned
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Marysville B
Presenters: Owen James and Jaimie Sokalski

Asset Management Software, including computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) are software that centralize asset data and information management to support decision making and maintenance management. AM software enables more efficient planning, documentation, and tracking of asset and maintenance processes including service requests, inspections, and work orders. Associated Engineering has supported many municipalities in software selection, implementation, change management, and process review. In this hands-on workshop, we will take participants through the following stages of the AM software planning and implementation process: 1. System-Data Landscape: mapping out the relationships between existing software, data, and systems to understand the current data landscape at an organization 2. Functional Needs & Gap Assessment: identifying the wants and needs of key staff to determine what you are looking for, and where gaps or inefficiencies may exist within the current data landscape 3. Software Review & Procurement: highlighting considerations to make when selecting a software for your organization 4. Implementation & Change Management: identifying key lessons learned through AM software implementation, as well as considerations for staff training and capacity building 5. Business Process Development: introducing business process development to clearly lay out the flow of tasks through process maps, roles, and responsibilities for key software functionalities and processes Throughout the activities and discussion, lessons learned through our own experience will be shared and participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences. At the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a better understanding of AM software, the steps to take when considering an AM software in their municipality, and considerations for improvement of software use in their municipality.


Asset and Maintenance Assessments – National Asset Review – Parks Canada Agency
4:20 PM – 4:45 PM | Marysville A
Presenter: Owen James

Parks Canada Agency is one of the largest federal custodians of real property and infrastructure supporting 46 national parks, one national urban park, 4 marine conservation areas and 171 national historic sites including 9 historic canals. Periodically the Agency undertakes a portfolio level review of its assets known as the National Asset Review to support Federal Government budget submission. The review undertaken in 2022 included an assessment of condition, maintenance, code, accessibility, climate adaptation needs and greening opportunities for a sample of assets to understand the cost implications and needs of the Agency overall. This presentation describes the process followed and the analysis undertaken by the project team in collaboration with the Agency including the innovative approaches to understanding meaningful maintenance needs, the modelling of climate adaptation needs and greening opportunities.

Strategic approach delivers critical drainage improvements in Calgary’s Northwest Inner City

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

The Northwest Inner City area of Calgary has experienced recent, unprecedented flooding; the most devastating of which was the Bow River flood in 2013. This significant event refocused The City’s priorities in the Northwest Inner City area on drainage improvements, and in 2016, Associated Engineering updated The City’s Northwest Inner City Community Drainage Improvement Study.

Subsequently, in 2019, The City of Calgary initiated three community drainage improvement projects with three different consultants (MPE Engineering, GDH, and Associated Engineering) within the same geographic area. A year later, The City received funding through the Municipal Stimulus Program to design and construct the recommended drainage improvements, which would mitigate risks to the community, which were at the highest risk of flood recurrence. 

The Municipal Stimulus Program funding stipulated that construction must be completed by the end of 2021. To take advantage of the funding, The City had to reduce the detailed design and procurement schedule from one year to approximately six months. To meet the tight schedule, The City directed the three consultant teams to work with Associated Engineering, which would serve as Lead Consultant and manage the delivery of three community drainage improvement projects.

As Lead Consultant, Associated Engineering was responsible for aligning the designs and preparing templates to produce a single, cohesive Request for Proposal (RFP) for procurement of a contractor. The RFP would ultimately become the contract document, including special conditions, construction drawings, and technical specifications to deliver the overall project, while also considering and incorporating project specific elements.

“Our challenge was to deliver this work safely, minimizing community impacts and achieving The City’s design standards, while managing three consultant design teams, each with their own unique personality, design processes, and work environment. Viewing the projects as an overall program, defining project requirements, and considering the overlapping impacts and risks helped guide us to achieve The City’s goals.” – Project Manager, Craig Pass

When the provincial funding support was announced, the individual projects were already in various stages of design and construction document preparation. Adding to the program’s complexity, when public safety measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic were announced, the design teams transitioned to working remotely and using virtual communication tools and collaboration platforms for project meetings and document control.

“In this virtual environment, project management, leadership, prompt decision-making, and clear communication helped to keep the project and development of the RFP on schedule.” 

The City received bids from three contractors. Employing evaluation criteria developed by Associated Engineering, The City selected a contractor and awarded the construction contract for approximately four kilometres of storm system improvements valued at almost $30 million. The project was successfully delivered in a challenging urban environment, overcoming pandemic-related supply chain constraints, and a compressed schedule. Key to the success of the project was the collaborative design and construction environment fostered between Associated Engineering, the three onsultant design teams, The City of Calgary, and the contractor.

Our key personnel involved on the project included Craig Pass, Eliman Camara, Bruce Colwell, Danielle Nyarko, and Bev Hehr.

Traffic signal optimization helps alleviate congestion and improves pedestrian safety along Saskatoon’s 22nd Street

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

The City of Saskatoon has a growing population and a traffic network that is under constant pressure to keep up with increased demand. 22nd Street is a major arterial roadway that is key to mobility in the city. A long railroad track separates the east and west sides of downtown and trains pass through three times per day, causing traffic delays of a half hour or more. In addition, with nearby residential developments along 22nd Street, at some locations, pedestrians avoid using the signaled crossings to get to the other side of road.

For a busy corridor such as 22nd Street, this practice had led to tragic accidents and fatalities. The City faced the challenge of solving the difficult issues of increasing traffic volume along 22nd Street, improving traffic management, and providing a safer environment for pedestrians. The City retained Associated Engineering to identify potential solutions. 

Early in the project, the Associated team recognized the value of involving City staff in the design process to improve our understanding of the issues and collaborate in the development of solutions. The pedestrian crossing issue had cost many lives. The City’s mandate was to create a traffic system that provides a safer road user experience for pedestrians, cyclists, and other active transportation users, while offering better service to all vehicular road users. Associated Engineering worked with the City to develop a priority sequence that would be followed to come up with a strategy. The priorities would be i) Pedestrians, ii) Intersection Operations, and iii) Traffic Flow. 

The project team collected data, created analysis files, and prepared tables and charts to define problem areas, such as collision patterns or non-compliance of signs and markings. Traffic Systems Discipline Lead, David Booker, advises, “We visited key sites at various times during the day to evaluate existing operational conditions. We then prepared an initial observations table to define deficiencies along the road.”

“Our traffic engineers employed various tools to complete an analysis of traffic operations, assessments of safety hazards, intelligent transportation system practices, and advanced traffic controller programming. Receiving support from the City to accept non-traditional timing practices was also very valuable.”

Most traffic engineering professionals are familiar with traffic tools such as Synchro, Vistro, and Vissum. However, TranSync is the newest analysis tool for signal coordination. A network Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) was developed through the Centre for Advanced Transportation Education and Research at the University of Nevada. Associated is the first engineering or consulting company in Canada to use this advanced program and Saskatoon has become the first municipal user of the software in Canada.

Traffic analysis tools alone cannot resolve issues. Creativity is required to come up with the right solution.

“Controlling traffic is like controlling a river. Once the road network is full, traffic will go wherever it wants. The key to successful signal timing is the control of traffic.”

Eliminating, or at least minimizing randomness, reduces unsafe conditions along a traffic network. From arrival rates and coordination patterns, to providing sufficient green time for each movement, and in the case of 22nd Street specifically, pedestrian timing and response, control is achieved through time-of-day plans which adjust the on-street timing of signals as volumes and composition of traffic change.

But changing signal timing by time-of-day was only the starting point. Traffic control tools were used to develop a robust solution. David tells us, “We developed Multiple Double Cycle patterns across the network. Local Zero Override allow really short-cycle lengths, and we used Pedestrian Recall by time of day so that during peak times pedestrians would not have to push the button as an automatic call was placed for them.” Vehicle platoons were kept compact, so each group could receive coordinated green signals as they approached each intersection. 

The final result is an efficient traffic network that makes people a priority over vehicles and leads to a 20% reduction in both delay and vehicular stops across the network throughout the day.

Our key personnel on the project included Jon Medori, David Booker, Ellen McLaughlin, Sabrina Chan, Erica Mthembu, Judy Yu, and Laurel Richl.

Associated Engineering projects recognized at ACEC-BC Awards

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

Congratulations to our project team of Julien Henley (Project Manager), Natalya Kucherenko, Dale Harrison, Steve Root, Emma McGowan, and Bob Smith, whose Baxter Bridge Rehabilitation project took home an Award of Excellence for Projects Under $2.5 Million, at the recent ACEC-BC Awards ceremony in Vancouver!


Baxter Bridge is a timber Howe Truss bridge built in the 1950’s, and crosses the Shuswap River in the North Okanagan. Over the years, the bridge has undergone a patchwork of repairs, resulting in intermittent closures, and the bridge is meant to be replaced when funding becomes available. In May 2021, Associated carried out an enhanced bridge inspection, resulting in a 50% downrating to 25 tonnes GVW. These restrictions caused significant hardship on the local community, blocking emergency response vehicles (crucially, during the wildfire season) and imposing long detours.


Associated Engineering was tasked to design and oversee the construction of the emergency repair works to reinstate this lifeline, and we responded immediately, designing rehabilitation works within a record time of six weeks. Our innovative design to strengthen the existing portal frame with a steel U-frame eliminated the need for portal bracing. Major construction works were completed in 16 weeks, allowing the bridge to return to operation at full capacity, and miscellaneous minor works continued without need for traffic management. 


Congratulations also to the project team on the Highway 91/17 Upgrade Project, which received an Award of Merit in the Transportation & Bridges category. We led the design of two out of the four interchanges on the project and provided environmental services project-wide to the McElhanney team on this project. Our team members on the project included Pat Stancombe, Josh Thiessen, Dave Hayward, Jennifer Prive, Rob Kupchanko, Matt Du Toit, Lisa Liu, and Evelyn Aguila. 

Expansion of Moose Jaw Municipal Airport runway improves aircraft access and airport safety

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

Located 13 kilometres northeast of the City of Moose Jaw in southern Saskatchewan, the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport serves the area’s agricultural and business sectors. The airport is the home base of Provincial Airways, which provides aerial application, flight training, aircraft rental, and maintenance services. 

The Moose Jaw Municipal Airport Authority (the Airport Authority) was created in 2018 to manage the City of Moose Jaw-owned airport. In 2020, the Airport Authority secured $3 million in public funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to expand the existing runway from 900 metres to over 1200 metres. The Airport Authority’s main priority for the runway expansion was to improve airport safety and access for the Saskatchewan Air Ambulance. The existing runway was too short for the Air Ambulance (King Air 200) to use safely at full gross weight. The shorter runway length also put the airport at a competitive disadvantage compared with other nearby airports. 

The expansion of the runway allows the airport to receive heavier and more modern aircraft, such as business class turbo props and light jets, and support training for the nearby 15 Wing Moose Jaw Canadian Forces Base, including Harvard II aircraft and the Snowbirds.”

“In addition to addressing safety concerns, these improvements extend the service life of existing pavement structures, and expand the airport to realize new business opportunities.” – Project Manager, Jacob Froh

Associated Engineering led all aspects of this project, including preliminary and detailed design, tendering, contract administration, construction inspection, post-construction services, and funding assistance. The project included cold milling and asphalt overlay of the existing runway; extending the runway by over 300 metres; extending the taxiways by over 800 metres; rehabilitating the existing taxiways and apron; relocating and extending the airfield lighting and upgrading the airfield power distribution; constructing a new hangar access road; and improving drainage throughout the airport. The improvements to the existing drainage system protect the runway, taxiways, and apron, and direct runoff away from existing hangars.

The project’s initial funding was insufficient to complete all of the recommended improvements, particularly within their preferred timeline for construction. 

“To maximize the budget and value for money, we recommended an extension to the completion dates and that the work be separated into three contracts. We successfully assisted the Airport Authority in their application for an extension to the ICIP funding deadline.”

We developed several alternatives for the runway and taxiway rehabilitation work and runway extension, so adjustments could be made to the scope of work after tendering to maximize the available budget. We also identified an additional funding stream (Community Airport Partnership through the Saskatchewan government), prepared the application, and were successful in securing the maximum funding, which increased the Airport Authority’s project budget by $500,000.

“As a result of the additional funding, we were able to complete the majority of the recommended improvements, including the milling and overlay along the entire existing runway and full-depth reclamation along the existing taxiways and apron, in addition to the runway and taxiway extensions.”

The team completed design in July 2020. Construction began in fall 2020 with the pre-grading work completed under the earthworks contract. The surfacing work (second contract) took place in 2021. Electrical work followed in late fall/winter 2021 and was completed in spring 2022.

Our key personnel on the project included Jacob Froh, Dave Anderson, Doug Falkins, Sang-Hyun Chung, and Thomas Goddard.

Parcel 21 at Simon Fraser University provides energy efficient housing on campus

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

Located on Simon Fraser University’s campus in Burnaby, BC, Parcel 21 is a model for energy-efficient housing, incorporating Passive House principles, a rigorous energy-efficient design standard. Completed in early 2022, the residential complex consists of a four-storey wood-frame building situated on top of a concrete parkade, as well as a six-storey wood-frame building and a steel pavilion building. Owned by the SFU Community Trust, the facility includes 90 affordable rental apartment units dedicated to SFU students with families. There is also a central courtyard and community space, along with amenities such as study rooms and secure bike storage. 

Parcel 21 project incorporates Passive House principles for energy conservation

Local Practice Architecture retained Associated Engineering to provide structural and electrical engineering services on this $23 million project. Structural Lead and Engineer-of-Record, Jermyn Wong, tells us, “To meet the rigorous BC Energy Step Code requirements, our team applied many Passive House principles in our design. These included a well-insulated building envelope, a continuous air barrier to minimize leakage, high-performance windows, engineering and detailing of connections to minimize thermal bridging, a heat-recovery ventilation system, canopies and other structures that are thermally separated from the building envelope, and sunshades that help prevent overheating in the summer.”

One of the key challenges that the project team addressed was wood shrinkage, an important consideration in the design of mid-rise, wood frame structures such as Parcel 21. Jermyn says, “We carefully considered the structural detailing to mitigate vertical shrinkage of the structure. We used engineered-wood floor I joists; prescribed a moisture content limit for all wood studs and wall plates; and detailed the interface between the floor framing and masonry elevator shafts to ensure the wood structure could shrink vertically near the shaft walls.”

To preserve the continuity of the thermal envelope, the team specified out-board insulation to eliminate potential thermal bridging between the exterior stud walls and each level of the floor structure. The team specified insulation in the wall cavity of the first level of the residential interior walls, in combination with horizontal insulation on top of concrete slab above the parkade to minimize thermal bridging at that interface. In addition, detailing of the cantilever canopies and sunshade connections to the exterior walls was carefully undertaken to minimize thermal bridging.

Addressing the high seismicity in the Lower Mainland was another challenge. Jermyn tells us, “We used continuous tie-down rod systems at the ends of the shear walls to resist seismic overturning. These rods have take-up devices to compensate for the vertical shrinkage at each floor. The shear walls were laid out so they continue for the full height of the building, despite varying room layouts at each level.  Also, special drag strut details were necessary due to the lack of a concrete floor topping.”

Parcel 21 also includes passive heating and cooling, using a heat exchanger to transfer heat from the Burnaby Mountain District Energy Utility to generate hot water on demand. 

Project Manager, David Woo, says, “In 2019, SFU Parcel 21 was selected as one of 11 winners of the Net Zero Energy Ready (NZER) Challenge competition in BC, a provincial CleanBC incentive program for large building construction. The program provides financial support for developments targeting NZER.” 

Parcel 21 also received the Residential (Large) Award at the 2023 SAB Magazine Canadian Green Building Awards.

Our key personnel on the project included David Woo, Jermyn Wong, Esaly Wu, Louis De Lange, and Eunice Fang. 

Associated presents at Water Environment Association of Ontario Annual Conference

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

Associated Engineering is pleased to announce the following individuals will be presenting in various streams of the technical program next week in Toronto at 52nd WEAO Technical Symposium. We invite all delegates to hear from our speakers on April 17 and 18th!

April 17, 2023

4:15 PM – 4:45 PM | Maple West
Modelling the Impacts of Grey Water Reuse Implementation on Wastewater Treatment Plants | Ryan Thoren  

Grey water treatment systems collect, store and treat grey water to specified standards for reuse. Depending on the level of treatment, this enables the use of treated grey water for applications such as above-ground irrigation, laundry, and toilet flushing. In addition to reduced demands on drinking water distribution and wastewater collection systems, implementation of grey water reuse has the potential to impact WWTP operations. To assess the potential impacts on WWTPs, a model was developed to predict changes to WWTP influent flows, concentrations, and mass loadings as a result of grey water reuse implementation. Two scenarios were modeled to investigate different rates of grey water reuse uptake in newly constructed homes for a medium-sized municipality (population of 500,000 people). Results were determined up to the year 2051 using population and housing development projections. The impacts of reduced flows on sewage collection systems were also assessed at a high level.

4:15 PM – 4:45 PM | Willow East

Rooftop Solar Systems at Wastewater Collection and Treatment Facilities | Don Bai

Rooftop Solar Systems at Wastewater Collection and Treatment Facilities | Don Bai
Drivers and Key Considerations to designing and constructing rooftop solar systems at Wastewater treatment and collection system facilities. Followed up with a case study examination of a success deployment.

4:45 PM – 5:15 PM | Willow Centre
Feasibility of Advanced Digestion Options to Reduce Biosolids Volume | José Bicudo

This paper discusses the feasibility of biosolids management options based on variations and enhancement of anaerobic digestion, which might help address capacity concerns at a regional composting facility. Different options were analyzed for biosolids volume reduction, energy generation and use, life-cycle cost, including sensitivity to select input parameters. A structured decision-making process, using a simplified triple bottom line (TBL) approach, is also included to provide a comparative evaluation of the options and inform the City on a number of important corporate considerations.

April 18, 2023

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Maple West
Wiped Out? – Screens for Small Wastewater Treatment Plants | Amir Esmaeili    

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) servicing small communities with rated average daily flows of less than 500 m3/d do not typically have screening units (fine screens). In the past, this was done as a cost-saving measure for these small communities and was deemed to not significantly impact the downstream treatment processes. Operational and maintenance problems associated with nuisance inorganic solids, such as flushable wipes, have become more prevalent in many sewage pumping stations and WWTPs. These problems include plugging of pumps and piping, material settling in quiescent areas of tanks and reduced quality of the biosolids. Implementing screen units in small WWTPs would mitigate the operational issues associated with flushable wipes clogging pumps and process piping. The objectives of this paper are to describe design criteria and considerations for implementing screen units in small WWTPs; present suitable screening technologies for small WWTPs; and discuss challenges with implementing screen units in existing facilities.

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm | Willow West
Investigating Plant-wide and Process-Specific Odour Emissions | Nico Carunungan 

In response to odour complaints made by residents living near the Kitchener and Hespeler Wastewater Treatment Plants in 2021 and 2022 respectively, we studied regional weather data, reviewed plant operating conditions, and measured odour emissions at both facilities to determine any causal relationships between treatment activities and the complaints received. It was determined that neither plant was generating odours that could have caused the nearby residential complaints over the durations of the study periods. A key point of interest to note is that we investigated the Kitchener WWTP on a plant-wide scale, while we put specific emphasis on the aerobic digestion process at the Hespeler WWTP as it had been recently upgraded to treat thickened waste activated sludge. Through both studies, we demonstrate that baseline profiling of odour emissions is essential to determining any causal relationships between wastewater treatment processes and sources of odours at treatment facilities.

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM  | Willow West
Managing Odours from Biosolids Storage and Processing – A Case Study from the Galt WWTP | Michael Blain

Biosolids processing facilities, particularly those including dewatered cake storage and truck loading bays, can produce a complex mixture of odours beyond the typical compounds such as H2S that are often the focus of odour treatment at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). At the Galt WWTP, there are two parallel carbon adsorption systems for building and process air treatment for the Biosolids Facility. This paper describes multiple rounds of odour sampling over the course of 8 years, and the presence of compounds including organic sulpur, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds that contribute to the odour mixture and require treatment. The paper also reviews technology options to treat this mixture including activated carbon, biofilter, and chemical scrubber, as well as constructability and life cycle cost considerations for this retrofit application.

Jessica Gagné shares her passion for creative design and mentorship

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

For Jessica Gagné, her journey to becoming a Senior Bridge Engineer began early in life, influenced by her grandfather, a Mechanical Engineer. Growing up in the United Kingdom, Jessica witnessed the construction of notable civil infrastructure projects. As a child, she even asked her parents to visit the Channel Tunnel construction site visitor centre as a birthday treat! 

Jessica tells us, “I didn’t decide to focus on structural engineering until I was in university. The opportunity to be creative in design really appealed to me, and still does.” One particular lecture at the Institution of Civil Engineers left a lasting impression on Jessica. “Robert Benaim (one of UK’s greatest modern bridge engineers) sketched up a beautiful scheme for the North Greenwich underground station on the Jubilee Line Extension. I realized that was the kind of work I wanted to do.” Later, Jessica began her career at the company Benaim founded, working in London and Bath.

While studying at Imperial College in London, Jessica participated in the ERASMUS exchange program sponsored by the European Union, and spent a year at École des Ponts in Paris. She shares, “Studying abroad was a wonderful experience and contributed to my decision to seek work opportunities in Canada.”

In 2007, Jessica joined Associated Engineering, responding to a Consulting Engineers of Alberta recruitment drive conducted in the UK. She sought to gain broader experience and develop her career by working in Canada.

“I was particularly attracted by the atmosphere and projects undertaken by the structural group when I visited Associated’s Edmonton office. I felt Associated would be a good fit. Originally, I intended to stay in Canada for only three years, but I have now been with Associated for more than fifteen years!”

Jessica feels very fortunate to have had amazing mentors at every stage of her career. She is very thankful to them, not only for their generosity in sharing technical knowledge, but also for their encouragement to persevere through setbacks. She explains, “Mentors help in charting the course to the ‘next step’. I advise young engineers to find a mentor who has the job that they would like to have in five to ten years.”

“I advise recent graduates to take the opportunity to travel that consulting engineering offers, to work with different people, and to spend extended periods on-site, if possible.” She feels that gaining broad experience with different ways of approaching a project in the early years of one’s career helps to build a deep toolbox of solutions for the different project challenges ahead.  

Jessica adds, “I also advise graduates specializing in structural engineering to consider taking the IStructE exam. While it is not the only way to build up skills in conceptual design and solution generation, I found, through taking the exam, I built up a library of resources, as well as skills that I use regularly on projects.”

Since joining Associated, Jessica describes her most memorable experiences include visiting the Bitumount Fire Base and flying in a helicopter over the path of the Richardson Wildfire to inspect bridges that had been damaged by the fire; as well as inspecting the International Control Dam above Niagara Falls. She tells us her project highlights have been working on the Fifth Bridge, a pedestrian bridge in scenic Jasper National Park and the Edmonton Capital Line South Extension.

Jessica describes mutual respect and having open and honest communication as key elements of her approach to fostering strong relationships with colleagues and clients.

“One of the benefits I’ve found from working at Associated is the very low staff turnover, which enables long-term relationships with colleagues, working on long duration projects, and earning repeat clients.”

Outside of work, Jessica enjoys being in the outdoors, hiking in the mountains and camping with her family. She describes herself as a busy ‘violin parent’ taking her son to lessons, orchestra rehearsals, and concerts. Jessica also just concluded a three-year term as a Beaver Scout leader. 

Jessica also volunteers as a guest lecturer at the University of Alberta, teaching steel girder bridge design as part of the fourth-year capstone course, and sharing her passion for creative design. She was recently appointed as an Adjunct Professor, and plans to expand the ‘bridge content’ available in the Masters program, fostering the next generation of bridge engineers.

Collaborating with Indigenous communities helps restore habitats and protect species at risk in the Northwest Territories

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)
Caribou in Denali National Park

Listed as Threatened on the Species at Risk public registry, boreal caribou are an important species, particularly for Indigenous Peoples. Boreal caribou are traditionally harvested for food, ceremony, and tools. In the Northwest Territories, the boreal caribou of the NT1 range (“tǫdzı” in the Tłı̨chǫ language) herd lives south of the treeline and is subject to a variety of human disturbances, such as roads and logging, and natural disturbance, such as wild fire.

The Tłı̨chǫ Highway connects the community of Whatı̀ to Highway 3, approximately 30 kilometres southwest of Behchokǫ̀. Previously, there was only a winter road connection between Whatì and Highway 3. Associated served as the Owner’s Engineer for building and operating the new 97 kilometre, all‐season gravel road that was entirely within the NT1 boreal caribou range.

The Government of Northwest Territories – Department of Infrastructure, in partnership with the Tłı̨chǫ Government, advanced permitting of the project through the Wek’èezhìı Land and Water Board and Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board. The governments determined that a plan was needed to offset, or compensate, for disturbance to boreal caribou habitat. 

As habitat offsetting is a relatively new concept in the Northwest Territories, the Associated project team presented to Indigenous community members examples of offsetting, how it can be applied, and the types of compensation for disturbance that impact the boreal caribou habitat.

Workshops provided an opportunity to collaborate with Indigenous governments & knowledge keepers

Associated supported the development of the Tłı̨chǫ All Season Road Boreal Caribou Habitat Offset Plan, drawing upon traditional knowledge from Tłı̨chǫ residents, scientific experience, and case studies. Offsetting for boreal caribou focused primarily on restoring old linear features (roads and trails) that were within habitats known to be important to boreal caribou, but not important Indigenous routes.

Biologist, Keenan Rudichuk, explains, “We worked with community members, Elders, and hunters to identify suitable offsetting locations to limit encroaching or disturbing other existing Indigenous needs, such as hunting camp access.” 

Indigenous engagement was critical to the project. Associated led communications in structured, facilitated meetings. Language translators helped ensure traditional knowledge was understood. 

Keenan tells us, “Applying offsets for boreal caribou in the Northwest Territories is inherently experimental; therefore, it was important to establish measurable monitoring goals for both the treatments selected and the response and impacts on boreal caribou and predators.”

The work contributes to climate change mitigation and climate sustainability as the primary offsetting focus is to restore legacy linear and polygonal disturbances by improving or advancing revegetation and secondary offsets focused on restoring historic fire-disturbed areas. Revegetation contributes to carbon sequestration as tree and shrub communities develop over time.

In 2022, the Government of Northwest Territories started developing boreal caribou offset guidance. Components of the Offset Plan will aid other projects with similar constraints, for example, to identify suitable locations for offsetting and select offsetting options and techniques that are economically feasible.

Keenan Rudichuk, R.P.Bio. is a Senior Wildlife Biologist in Associated’s Vernon office and focuses his efforts on supporting clients in vegetation, wildlife, and habitat-related challenges. Keenan regularly works on projects in British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Yukon. If you require support on wildlife-related issues on your projects, please reach out to Keenan at rudichukk@ae.ca. 

Design improves traffic flow and increases safety on Highway 779

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

Highway 779 through the Town of Stony Plain, located in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, was a four-lane, undivided road without access control, which impacted traffic flow and posed safety concerns. Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors (formerly known as Alberta Transportation) retained Associated Engineering as prime consultant to improve approximately three kilometres of Highway 779 through Stony Plain. 

Associated Engineering’s scope of work included preliminary and detailed design, tendering, construction supervision, contract administration, and post-construction services to remove uncontrolled accesses and widen the existing roadway to a four-lane, divided cross section with a raised concrete median that accommodates dedicated left-turn lanes at intersections.

In addition, the design included upgrades to the alignment and lane configurations on intersecting roadways to improve capacity, six new traffic signals, changes to residential and commercial accesses, replacement of existing roadway LED lighting, new storm sewers and catch basins (designed to accommodate expected future increase in storm intensity), a storm pond, burial of the existing overhead power lines, paving of back lanes parallel to the highway, and new pedestrian facilities on both sides of the highway.

Utility conflicts were a major challenge on the project, and many utility conflicts could only be identified during construction. These included extremely shallow storm sewers, gas lines, telecommunication lines, a railway crossing widening, and fibre optic lines. In addition, multiple unidentified and abandoned utilities were discovered during construction that were not on the utility locates. 

Associated Engineering worked with the contractor to identify the potential conflicts and coordinated with utility companies to mitigate the issues.

“To overcome the shallow utility lines, we redesigned the road structure to limit our excavation depth and made alignment changes to the storm sewer. The contractor, Wells Construction (a Division of Lafarge Canada), used different construction techniques and hand-located utilities in certain areas, which allowed the utility owners to reduce the required cover over or clearance to some utilities during construction.” – Project Manager, Warren McKay

Where minor utility relocations were required, the grading sub-contractor contracted directly with the utility company to relocate the facility, which helped keep construction on schedule. When required, Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors assisted to coordinate scheduling with the utility companies to meet project milestones. This partnering approach helped to reduce potential delays and costs associated with utility conflicts and relocations.

As a result of our successful collaboration, the team, including the project owner, lead consultant, and contractor, were recognized with an Alberta Transportation Partnering Award in the major project category for the Highway 779 project in 2022. 

Shaping our Shared Future – Sang Chung

Posted on by Ryan (ODG)

Sang Chung, M.Eng., P.Eng. is a dedicated Senior Transportation Engineer with a passion for achieving balance in all aspects of his life. With over 20 years of experience in highway and airport/aerodrome design, Sang has a wealth of expertise in delivering major transportation projects, as well as a strong commitment to maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle.


Sang holds a Master of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from UBC. Since joining Associated Engineering in 2003, he has worked primarily on highways and airport projects in Western and Northern Canada. In the highways sector, Sang has been involved on many significant projects, including the Highway 91/91A Interchange Improvements and the Mountain Highway Interchange Improvements in BC’s Lower Mainland. In the airport sector, Sang has worked on major projects such as the Vancouver International Airport North and South Runway Rehabilitations, Whitehorse Airfield Upgrades, and Inuvik Airport Runway Extension. 

Sang is deeply committed to community service and has served as a member of the Association of Korean-Canadian Scientists and Engineers (AKCSE) for over ten years. Currently, he holds the position of President for the Mainland BC chapter. Sang has organized various chapter events aimed at bringing together engineers and scientists in the local community. These events were designed to facilitate networking, knowledge-sharing, and personal and professional growth.

In his role representing the Association, Sang has engaged with the Korean Consulate General in Vancouver, sharing the Chapter members’ professional experience and achievements. This has helped to create future opportunities for the Chapter’s students and young professionals. Sang has also participated in the national Canada Korea Conference, where he represented the BC chapter.  

In addition to Sang’s professional and personal achievements, he deeply values his family life. He has been happily married to his wife, Lisa, for over 25 years and they have two children, Caleb and Hannah. The family enjoys spending quality time together, participating in activities such as cycling, hiking, and camping. Sang is an avid cyclist and has participated in events such as the Grand Fondo in 2022 and Tour de Cure in 2023. He also enjoys running, golfing, and snowboarding.

Thank you, Sang, for your efforts to shape our shared future!