From our friend Haveacow from Ottawa

On November 7, 2014 the western tunnel segment and central tunnel segment became one segment. The tunnel for the LRT system in Ottawa is being dug in 3 individual segments, what is called the Sequential Tunneling Technique. This means faster tunneling and gives a certain amount of space in the tunneling schedule in case something goes wrong. The roadheader digging the western segment known as “Jawbreaker” will finish the cavern for the Lyon Street Station and then head east with the roadheader digging the central segment “Chewrocka” and finish the Parliament Station cavern together before movingAi??east towards the Rideau Station cavern in the Eastern Tunnel Segment being dug by “Crocodile Rouge”. The station cavern’s are the area that will occupy the space that will be the stations and the various station levels as well asAi??the LRT station platform area. This was done so that their will be a minimum of mess on the surface and shorten construction time when stations are actually being built, starting in 2016.Ai??The more common method is to build a station box and then dig down from the surface down to the already dug running tunnel and then expand the hole when you get down to the platform/track level. The normal method is easier but very messy, digging station caverns first shortens construction times but is slightly more costly. The names for the roadheaders were chosen last yearAi??(2013) by grade 4 entries from Ottawa Area Schools. Grade 4 students were chosen because they will be entering high school when the project opens in 2018.

The following updates were posted to www.confederationline.ca over the past week.

Tunnel Punch Through

Roadheader mining in the central shaft from the east segment to the west segment punched through on November 7, 2014.

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Construction Summary

Central Segment

Tunnel

West Portal (Jawbreaker)

• Mining progresses toward the west entrance of LyonAi??Station.
• Cavern reinforcement continues and includes the installation of rockbolts and shot crete as well as the construction of a lower level support system.
• Roadheader mining in the central shaft from the east segment to the west segment punched through on November 7, 2014.
• Ongoing mining in drifts is anticipated until December 2014.

Central Shaft (Chewrocka)

• Mining advances west toward Lyon Station.
• Ongoing construction of a lower level support system continues as the first half of the formwork and support is complete.
• Installation of storm sewers and conduits progresses.

East Portal (Crocodile Rouge)

• Roadheader approaching transition[i] to Rideau Station cavern.
• Shotcreting and rockbolt installation occur as mining advances past Dalhousie Street.
• Cavern excavation is anticipated to begin as early as late December.

East Segment

Belfast Yard

Long-term closure of Belfast Road, south of TremblayAi??Road to TrainyardsAi??Drive and north of TremblayAi??Road to Coventry Road continues.

Belfast Yard Administration and Maintenance Building

• Steel erection on the Belfast Yard shed is nearing completion.
• Formwork advances and roofing is ongoing with parapet installation.
• Masonry work progresses in advance of building envelope works scheduled for the third week of November.
• Site utilities continue north and south of Belfast Road.

Civic Works

Highway 417 Roadwork, Widening and Structure Rehabilitation

Roadworks

• Median barrier wall removal, excavation, drilling of median foundations, pouring median walls and sewers advances in the median lanes along Highway 417.
• Panel installation continues on the retaining wall along the highway.
• Wiring, boring[iii], and pouring of concrete footing continue for light pole installations.
• Work at St. Laurent and Lemieux intersection including, electrical work, curbs and island reconfiguration is scheduled to be completed in November.
• Roadway excavation, milling[iv], placing and compacting granular continue along the highway as grading work at Robinson Avenue advances.
• Winter preparations are underway along the highway.

Signage

• The three message signs have been installed and are expected to be operational shortly. Electrical testing is being conducted by the Ministry of Transportation.

Structures

• Widening, reconstruction and rehabilitation of various bridge structures advance along the highway. Final works are ongoing at the Lees Avenue underpass, the Vanier Par kway overpass and on the St. Laurent overpass.

Lees Avenue Underpass

• Pouring, stripping and forming of the retaining wall continue at Lees Avenue underpass and installation of precast panels[v] and other final works are ongoing for the next weeks.

Hurdman Bridge

• Ongoing demolition and reconstruction of the structureai??i??s median span advances with installation of panels at the abutments.
• The placement of reinforcing steel at the east and west footings is ongoing.
• Alternating closures of the east and west multi-use pathway continues as panel installation and headwalls[vi] progress.

Vanier Parkway Overpass

• Backfilling, forming and curing of concrete continue at Vanier Parkway overpass.
• Rehabilitation works including completing the new curb, paving and relocating the intersection lighting are ongoing until the end of November.

Coventry Pedestrian Footbridge

• Installation of the roofing system, hangers for th e suspended ceiling system[vii] and glazing panels on the east side of the footbridge continue.
• Construction on the south abutment stairs and vault ceiling also advance as well as general site cleanup in anticipation of substantial completion of works by end of the year.

Belfast Road Underpass ai??i?? Reconstruction is ongoing as long-term closure of Belfast Road, north of Tremblay Road to CoventryAi??Road continues.

• Construction on the underpassai??i?? median pier advances and curing, stripping and installation of railings occur on parapet walls.

St. Laurent Overpass

• General site clean-up and demobilization is ongoing for the next weeks on the

St. Laurent overpass.

Albert Street Civic Works

• Installation of sanitary sewer at City Centre
• Begin curb installation on Albert Street
• Placement of Granular A on Albert Street

Stay on-track with us and follow our progress by visiting the sections related to each area of construction at the top of this webpage.

[i]Transition refers to the area between the running tunnel and the station cavern.

[ii] Whalers are horizontal reinforcement used to secure upright structures, such as formwork for the pouring of concrete.

[iii] Boring refers to the act or process of enlarging a hole.

[iv] Milling refers to the process of removing asphalt pavement with a machine.

[v]Precast concreteAi??is concrete that is made in a reusableAi??moldAi??or “form” which is then transported to the construction site and lifted into place. In contrast, standard conc reteAi??is poured into site-specific forms and cured on site.

[vi]Headwall refers to the small retaining wall placed at the outlet of a culvert or stormwater pipe.

[vii]AAi??suspended ceilingAi??is a secondary ceiling, hung below the main (structural) ceiling that is used for the structureai??i??s infrastructure, including piping, wiring and/or ductwork.

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Safety and Confederation Line construction

On any construction project, public and worker safety and security is a priority.

On the Confederation Line, we are proud to announce that we exceed industry standards when it comes to safety. Our staff is highly trained and vigilant, and uses the best equipment possible to increase the safety of users and of the surrounding areas.

We are pleased that since the beginning of construction of the Confederation Line, we have exceeded 1,000,000Ai??person-hours without serious accidents causing loss time injury.

This is an important achievement and one that we are very proud of.

Stay on-track with us and find out what we are building, where and when at ottawa.ca/confederationline.

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Did You Know?

Did you know ai??i?? the Confederation Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) continues to create jobs and positively impact our Cityai??i??s economy.

In fall 2013, one crew of five highly skilled miners began excavating the Confederation Line LRT downtown tunnel from the first access point at the WestAi??Portal.

One year later, seven crews of approximately ten workers each are now working on the tunnel as well as on the Lyon and Parliament Station caverns, within which the Lyon and Parliament stations will eventually be built.

It is anticipated that mining the Rideau Station cavern will begin by the end of the year, while excavation of the Lyon Station cavern will be completed in early 2015.

Tunnel excavation, support and final lining installation works are anticipated to be completed in 2016.

Stay on-track with us and follow our construction progress at www.ottawa.ca/confederationline.