Leaner,
Meaner,
Greener
Overcoming environmental challenges
By Sarah B. Hood
Compared to many sectors, pile driving has a relatively
light impact on the environment.
“For most land-based piling applications, we’re
installing untreated steel, concrete or timber, so the
environmental challenges are limited,” said Colin Kaufmann,
project manager with West Shore Constructors Ltd. of North
Vancouver. “But when we’re working with treated or coated
materials, or near watercourses, we have a greater potential to
impact the environment. While some of our responses to these
challenges are prescribed by the regulatory agencies, at other
times we must provide our own solutions to those challenges.”
Consider the $1.8-billion Northeast Anthony Henday Drive
project, a joint venture currently underway in Alberta between
Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited, Dragados, Aecon and
LaFarge. It involves 47 new bridges on 18 kilometres of reconstructed
six- and eight-lane divided freeway to complete the
Edmonton Ring Road.
“We had to build two cofferdams into the North
Saskatchewan River, remaining aware of the aquatic sensitivities
of resident and migrating wildlife, and of course it’s a
major water source for cities downstream,” said project safety
manager Garry Hodge of Flatiron Constructors. “Every pickup
truck in the fleet has a spill kit, and we used several hundred
rig mats to run our cranes into location. When we were at the
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