BlueFox Engineering

Project Overview

‍As part of a multi-phase expansion to the Calgary LRT system, the City of Calgary requested that Enmax Power Corp (Enmax) relocate existing transmission infrastructure in order to accommodate the proposed Green Line LRT expansion route. BlueFox Engineering was retained by Enmax to provide engineering, detailed design, construction inspection, and support services to complete five (5) major railway crossings. Crossing locations were primarily identified as high-risk crossings due to heavy railway activity and anticipated poor subsurface geotechnical conditions.

Geotechnical Investigation

‍A geotechnical investigation program was undertaken, in accordance with the trenchless design requirements as well as the Canadian Pacific Railways and Canadian National Railways geotechnical protocols for trenchless crossings. Subsurface conditions primarily encountered granular material including sands, gravel, and cobbles, overlying shallow bedrock. The bedrock primarily consisted of interlayered sandstone, siltstone, and claystone with significant variability in compressive strength and identified poor quality bedrock zones of intense fracturing.

Installation Methods and Design

‍Crossing design lengths, specified methodology, and diameter varied based on location and client requirements. Pipe ramming, pilot tube auger boring, small boring unit auger bore, and microtunneling were the selected methods, with crossings reaching up to 115m length and 1219mm diameter in order to cross up to 9 sets of railway tracks.

Construction and Support Services

‍During construction, BlueFox provided on-site trenchless inspection and engineering support services. This included ongoing liaison and technical reporting to the railway stakeholders. Staggered construction of the project began in August 2019 and the final crossing is currently underway, with a scheduled completion of December 15, 2020.

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Location 1: 17 Ave / 11 St S.E.
Method: Microtunnel
Length: 115m
Diameter: 1,219mm
No. of Railway Tracks: 9x CPR

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Location 2: 20 Ave / 11 St S.E.
Method: Pipe Ram
Length: 39m
Diameter: 610mm
No. of Railway Tracks: 1x CPR
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Location 3: 21 Ave / 11 St S.E.
Method: Pipe Ram
Length: 72m
Diameter: 610mm
No. of Railway Tracks: 2x CPR

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Location 4: Ogden Dale / 26 St S.E.
Method: Pilot Tube Auger Bore
Length: 44m
Diameter: 610mm
No. of Railway Tracks: 1x CPR

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Location 5: Ogden / 34 Ave S.E.
Method: Small Boring Unit Auger Bore
Length: 55m
Diameter: 762mm
No. of Railway Tracks: 4x CNR

 
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Greenline LRT Utility Relocations

Project Overview

Geotechnical Investigation

Installation Methods and Design

Construction and Support Services

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