Season One included nine episodes for AE Live, and covered topics from seismic retrofitting to traffic planning and Intelligent Transportation Systems, to engineering and environmental work in Canada’s northern territories, to bringing international engineering experience to Canadian communities. Hosts Michael Tolboom and Graeme Nix take you around Associated Engineering to meet the people that deliver projects across the company.
Month: January 2025
Coldstream Ranch Rosebud Pit Project wins British Columbia Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation Award
Last fall, the British Columbia Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation (TRCR) presented their annual awards at the TRCR’s 47th annual Mine Reclamation Symposium in Burnaby, BC.
The gravel contractor, R.E. Postill and Sons, was presented with the Sand and Gravel Category Award for the Rosebush Land Improvement Project at Coldstream Ranch in the North Okanagan. The project involved gravel extraction from a 68-hectare site on the ranch in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). During and after extraction, the area has been reclaimed with a soil material created by mixing fine sand with saved topsoil and composted manure and planted to provide forage for the ranch’s beef cattle operations. Reclamation greatly improved the agricultural capability by reducing the slope, increasing soil organic matter and water holding capacity, and adding 9.5 hectares of new farmland that is now cultivated.
Associated Environmental had a large role on this long-term project that required great foresight and accurate planning to complete. We are proud of our work and it was exciting to finally see it come together. A number of our agrologists worked on this project from 1995 through to completion. We provided advisory to the ranch and the gravel contractor on the Agricultural Land Commission process and completed annual land balance summaries and reporting to the Commission on the ranch’s behalf. Through this work we have maintained a great relationship with the ranch and have an excellent reference for one of our many projects in the ALR.
During the 30-year life of the Rosebush Land Improvement Project, Postill has extracted, processed, and sold 4.07 million tonnes of gravel and replaced it with clean fill from various job sites around Vernon.
The TRCR originated in the early 1970s in response to a demonstrated need in the British Columbia mining sector for greater government-industry communication in the area of environmental protection and reclamation. Membership is drawn from industry, provincial and federal government agencies, exploration and mining associations, and universities and colleges.
Replacing and rehabilitating structures increases safety of Caledon Trailway
Caledon is a town of approximately 80,000 people located northwest of Toronto in the Regional Municipality of Peel. The town has experienced significant growth in the past 10 years, and their 2024 Official Plan forecasts the town’s population to increase to 300,000 by 2051.
The town’s population growth and associated traffic has impacted its existing bridge infrastructure. The town conducts regular assessments of its bridges to assess their condition and safety. In 2021, the town retained Associated Engineering to assess four pedestrian bridges and two culverts to determine their condition and the need for rehabilitation or replacement. Project Manager, Sarvejit Nagi in our Toronto office, tells us, “After the condition assessment, we identified that Duffy’s Lane Bridge and Mill Lane Bridge on the Caledon Trailway needed maintenance.”
The Caledon Trailway follows a Canadian National Rail line built in 1877 and later abandoned. The 35 kilometre Trailway runs from the hamlet of Terra Cotta to the community of Palgrave in Caledon. Today, the multi-use trail is heavily used by the public for cycling, walking, and horseback riding.
Duffy’s Lane Bridge and Mill Lane Bridge have a length of 12.9 metres and 7.9 metres respectively, and both are 2.17 metres wide with short railings. The Town sought to rehabilitate the structures according to the Ontario Structure Inspection Manual (OSIM) reports and make the bridges structurally safe. In addition, the Town wished to replace two culverts.
“We completed preliminary design and prepared life-cycle costs, which showed that rehabilitating the bridges was more cost effective than replacing them. We subsequently prepared the detailed design for the rehabilitation, as well as applications for permit approvals, and tender documents for four of the structures.”
Without available record drawings, the team conducted surveys to capture dimensions and confirmed the design with field measurements and survey information.
Bridge Engineer, Jim Thomas, says, “We designed higher bridge railings, 1.37 metres tall, to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians. As well, the bridges were widened to three metres to accommodate maintenance vehicles.”
Bridge Engineer, Shuhao Chen, tells us, “To improve the durability of the bridges, we specified that the timber for main structural members be Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF), Hemlock Fir, Grade No. 2 or better.” In addition, the team specified that connections use galvanized steel lag bolts with predrilling holes to prevent timber cracking and the deck boards were fastened with GSK RSS Screws, rather than nails.”
The Town awarded the construction contract for Duffy’s Lane and Mill Lane bridges in May 2024 and retained Associated Engineering to conduct contract administration and site inspection. We also reviewed the traffic plan and coordinated the construction with adjacent road construction contractors. The team also worked with the Town to provide notices and detour maps to trail users.
Caledon’s Chief Administrative Officer, Nathan Hyde said, “In improving accessibility from the trailway to local businesses, we are supporting our strategic priority of community vitality and livability, enriching the vibrancy and liveliness of our hamlets and villages.”
Key Associated Engineering staff included Sarvejit Nagi, Shuhao Chen, Jim Thomas, Catherine Du, Hannah Murphy, Don McBrayne, and Navjot Dureja.
