Project Summary

Client
FTG Constructors

Budget
$70 Million

Services
Construction Management

Market
Transportation

Project Description

The steep terrain on the South Fraser Perimeter Road in Delta, B.C., required the largest quantity of MSE walls on a highway project in British Columbia – over 63,000 m2.  This particular expressway is a forty-kilometre, four-lane road that stretches from the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal to the City of Surrey.

Different proprietary systems were procured depending on the geography:

  • 26,000 m2 of rock-faced galvanized steel straps from SSL;
  • 24,000 m2 of rock-faced geogrid straps from Nilex;
  • 8,000 m2 of 70 degree green MSE walls from Nilex;
  • 5,200 m2 of two-staged abutment precast panel MSE walls from Nilex.

Our Role

RAM was retained by the joint venture FTG Constructors to manage the MSE wall design, procurement, tendering and construction. A selection of subcontractors and self-performing crews were managed to construct the various systems.

Project Highlights

Typically, select granular quarried aggregate is used as backfill; however, the project team received over $1 million in savings by using Fraser River sand.

The team performed triaxial tests to confirm the sand friction angle, and discovered that the sand caused a slight increase in the MSE strap length, thus causing greater excavation. However, the sand was much more cost-effective, and allowed for all-weather construction due to its porous nature.

Other cost savings were employed on the MSE walls, including:

  • Using extensible geogrid in bridge abutments where it is typically not allowed;
  • Founding true bridge abutments directly on MSE walls as tall as 18 meters;
  • Designing split-grade (tiered) MSE walls to reduce excavation volumes.