Thursday, September 16, 2021

Rings Around Calgary

Wind, weird weather, and wildlife—oh my! Local 63 members brave the elements to radically improve Calgary’s roadways

By Randy Klassen, Brendan Kooy, Mike Montague, and Ben Timmermans

THE FINAL COMPLETION OF THE ring road around Calgary, known as Stoney Trail, was decades in the making. While Stoney Trail previously weaved around Calgary in the northwest, northeast, and southeast, the portion in the southwest was incomplete.

After a monumental agreement reached in 2013 between the Alberta government and the Tsuut’ina nation, whose land borders Calgary to the southwest, the project was given the green light. Now in 2021, following several billion dollars worth of contracts awarded and four full seasons of construction, the project is in full swing and the end is in sight—thanks very much to the efforts of Local 63 members.

Companies signatory to Local 63 have played a central role in making this massive infrastructure project a reality. Between the different phases of the project, over 600 members have worked for Peter Kiewit & Sons, Technical Workforce Inc. (TWI), Flatiron Constructors Canada, and Ledcor Foundations Ltd. Members have been employed across all trades engaged on the project—heavy equipment operators, crane operators, carpenters, concrete finishers, labourers, surveyors, traffic control persons, heavy equipment mechanics, and more.

The Southwest Calgary Ring Road will be built between Highway 8 and Macleod Trail Southeast. The project includes reconstruction of Glenmore Trail between Sarcee Trail and east of 37 Street Southwest. It consists of

• 31 km. of six- and eight-lane divided highway,
• 14 interchanges,
• 47 bridges,
• one road flyover,
• one railway crossing (flyover),
• one culvert set,
• one tunnel, and
• three river crossings over the Elbow River and Fish Creek.

Flatiron is working as part of the West Ring Road project, which is the Bow River Bridge. When the last phase is open in 2024 and the ring road around Calgary is fully complete, there will be 101 kilometres of uninterrupted highway driving around the city.

If you find yourself cruising around Calgary, be proud of the immense skill and hard work put in by CLAC members to make it possible.

We spoke with four Local 63 members working on the project to get their perspective on the work.

BEN HERTZSPRUNG
Third-year carpenter apprentice and steward
Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited
On site for seven months

“I’ve been doing carpentry work for almost five years. I install forms, bulkheads, walls, bottom stabs, and soffits. I also rig for the crane when needed.

“I mostly work with the traveller [the cantilevered system that supports the concrete when it’s poured and curing], whether that’s setting forms with the surveyor to location and elevation or nailing down bulkheads and working in tandem with the ironworkers to make sure that we have all our formwork in place as they are needed. Launching the traveller involves lowering the whole system with hydraulics and then sliding the entire system forward on a set of rails and wheels.

“Some days involve stripping the formwork and organizing material for the next pour while we are waiting for the concrete to cure. We’re also responsible for cleaning up material that is no longer needed on top of the pier with the crane.

“One of the biggest challenges of this job is working around the Bow River and not having total access to the entire job site from an aerial work platform if you need it. This is my first time working on a site with such a big environmental challenge. The river poses a big challenge when it comes to operating machinery like a telehandler or aerial work platform, which are much easier to operate on a site that is wide open.

“One of the biggest safety issues we deal with is the crane and overhead loads. Complacency is a very dangerous thing in the construction world, so it is very important to have your head up when you can and be aware of where the crane is.

“Another issue is crush or pinch points. Everything that we deal with weighs enough to pinch or potentially crush your hands or limbs. You have to be mindful of where you are and not put yourself in harm’s way. Take a few extra seconds to do it safely and properly!

“The wind can also be frustrating. It can blow strongly through the valley, preventing the cranes from working safely and then getting shut down. It’s discouraging when you’re just trying to get your work done and the wind shuts that down real fast.

“The best part of my job is seeing something so big become what it was intended to be. I remember when this place was just a forest and beach area for people to come enjoy a nice afternoon. It will be really cool to finish the project and see two bridges where there was only one before.”

HECTOR RAMIREZ
Heavy equipment operator
KGL Constructors
On site for 4 years

“When I worked on site, every day was different. I’d show up and not know what to expect. One day I’d be driving trucks, and the next I’d be running equipment. And some days I’d have to act as a translator. There were lots of Spanish-speaking employees on site. I’d have to come and confirm the foreman’s instructions for them into Spanish, or I’d help them with all of their forms and paperwork.

“One thing I didn’t expect to encounter was the wildlife. One day, I was driving a rock truck and a deer came out of nowhere and jumped onto the middle of the road. I had to stop quickly so I wouldn’t hit it! What an amazing job site with so many interactions with wildlife.

“Another time I was operating a piece of equipment near 90th Avenue, and I saw something in the bushes near me. At first I thought it was another deer, but I was shocked that it was actually a bear!

“I worried about what to do next. So I shut off the equipment, called my supervisor, and told him there was a bear on the project. He didn’t believe me and told me that if I wanted to go home, I should just ask to go home. I then took a picture of the bear with my cell phone and sent it to my supervisor.

“He said, ‘Oh my! Hector, there’s a bear!’ I said, ‘That’s what I’ve been telling you!’ After that day, whenever we had to work in that area, we were supplied with bear spray. I also took the Bear Awareness course through CLAC Training.

“The best thing about this job? On my very first day, I remember driving to site and it was just dirt roads. And then three years later, it’s a beautiful open road with four lanes. I can drive on it and as I pass several bridges, I can say, ‘Oh, I built that . . . I built that one, too.’ I built these walls; I dug this foundation. I’m so proud of myself, the company, and my coworkers for accomplishing this. It’s the best feeling ever.”

JAMES WILKINSON
Carpenter foreman
Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited
On site for two years

“Before working in construction, I worked in automotive manufacturing in Windsor, Ontario. Of the two careers, I prefer construction. Manufacturing is very repetitive; I like how every day is different in construction.

“I usually come in half an hour before the rest of the crew, get all the paperwork ready, and get everything planned for the day. I have a little toolbox talk with them and go over what our tasks are for the day, then send them out into the field. I always try to stay two steps ahead of them at all times, planning and organizing, and making sure we have all the material they’re going to need.

“No one on our crew has done this style of bridge before. It’s not a conventional bridge; it’s totally different. It’s a new kind of project for everyone, so we’re just learning as we go.

“We’ve also had to learn how to get the job done during the pandemic and with all of the health and safety protocols that entails. Trying to implement six-foot social distancing and wearing masks at all times in construction is easier said than done. It’s very difficult having to wear a mask along with the safety goggles because the goggles fog up, making it hard to see what you’re doing. And it’s hard to breathe under the mask too because we’re doing really physical work.

“Working on a bridge is also hard when it comes to safely tying off for fall arrests—and finding a spot that meets code and company safety rules.

“The weather is also an obstacle—because we’re so close to the mountains, the weather changes rapidly every day. Springtime is especially difficult, because it’ll be in the high 20s one day and will snow the next. Then pretty bad storms roll in over the top of the mountains, and all the dirt and clay turn to mud. Nobody likes working in the mud.

“In the past, I’ve worked at other construction sites where there’s been a fatality. He wasn’t one of our crew, he was a subcontractor, but it still affected the whole job site. I don’t think anyone had experienced a fatality on site before. You read about it all the time, but until you actually go through it, you just don’t realize how much it hits home.

“At another construction site in the past, one of the guys cut his own thumb off with a saw, and I had to rush him to the hospital. It makes you think that it’s not worth it to rush, rush, rush. Even if you’re behind schedule, it isn’t worth your limbs or your life.”

GARY LESLIE
Journeyman carpenter
Technical Workforce Inc.
On site for four years

“I’ve been working in construction for 40 years, for this company for 20 years, and I’ve been on this site since this project started. For this project, I do snow fence for security twice a week. I work on gang forms and building templates for the pier and laying out for the templates as well. Doing the prefabrication work is probably my favourite thing to do.

“What I like about working here is that it’s a very well-organized job site. But even with all the careful planning and organization, there’s stuff you can’t plan on or control—like a global pandemic. That threw a wrench in things, and shutdowns affected our hours on the project.

“This is a very unique project, and we had to deal with many things we’ve never dealt with before. A global pandemic was definitely not in the blueprints; none of us have ever dealt with that before. There was so much fear—everyone feared someone on site getting sick and then having to shut down the site because of that.

“There’s also always the constant fear on every construction site like this of someone getting hurt or falling, because we’re working so high up. But it’s been reassuring for us to be represented by CLAC. Even when the pandemic made visiting the job site a challenge for the representatives, they still made an effort to contact us regularly. I never got that kind of service working with other unions.”

BOW RIVER BRIDGE PROJECT FAST FACTS

• The project is built using a cast-in-place balanced cantilever construction method—something that is not commonly used in Canada. It’s used when a few spans ranging from 50 to 250 metres exist. Bridges using this method can either be precast or cast in place. Once the piers are built, they are used as an erection platform for precast segments, or to support a form traveller for cast-in-place segments.

• The bridge and road project is a joint venture performed by Aecon Construction Solutions Inc. and Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited.

• The bridge is 1,500 feet long and rises 120 feet above water.

• There will be approximately 100 poured 15-foot casts to complete the span. Half of these pours will be done in 2021 and the other half in 2022. The bridge deck will be completed in 2023, and then the older bridge (right beside it) will have its bridge deck repaired and replaced in 2023 as well.

• There will be 11,000 cubic metres of high-performance concrete in the super structure (horizontal bridge spans). This does not include the piers, which used an additional 7,200 cubic metres of Class C concrete.

• In total, 65 CLAC members have worked on the bridge project.

• Completion is set for fall 2023.

• Total cost of the project is $100 million.

Source: westringroad.ca