30 Oct Prince of Wales Culvert Renewal – Status Update – Oct 30, 2015
Please find below the latest update from the Project Manager of the Prince of Wales Culvert renewal project currently underway just south of Fisher Avenue on Prince of Wales Drive.
Since the last project status e-mail one week ago, city officials are pleased to report that the tunneling work has been completed. The tunnel head “daylighted” in the east embankment of Prince of Wales Drive on Tuesday, 27th October. This is a significant milestone in this project.
Sheet piling for the outlet cofferdam
Towards the end of the tunnel, they experienced some extremely difficult ground conditions, including buried timber logs and an old concrete wall. Consequently, the tunnel had to be terminated a short distance away from its intended completion point. The good news is that the pipe has now been installed all the way beneath Prince of Wales Drive, and only a short section of pipe now has to be installed to reach the outlet, and this will be done by open-cut methods next week, without affecting Prince of Wales Drive.
Currently, the main construction activity is the installation of sheet piles at the creek outlet, on the east side of Prince of Wales Drive, in order to create a dry work area in which the headwalls can be built within the next few weeks.
Now that tunneling has been completed, the overnight work is no longer required. The Contractor plans to work on Saturday’s and occasionally Sunday’s (such as this weekend) in order to accelerate the schedule and get as much work completed as possible before the winter sets in. The weekend work will be done within the hours allowed by the noise by-law.
Tunnel “daylighting” in the east embankment of POW Drive
View looking down the tunnel