Join DIALOG’s Neil Robson, partner and structural engineer; Graeme Johnston, structural engineer; Steven Oosterhof, partner and structural engineer; Sheldon Twizell, engineer in training; and Georg Josi, partner and structural engineer, as they present sessions at Consulting Engineers of Alberta’s (CEA) Transportation Connects Alberta conference from March 11 to 12, 2024, at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
See the sessions below:
‘Bridges to Conservations: Highway 1 Wildlife Overpass Design and Construction’ presented by Neil Robson and Graeme Johnston
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024
Time: 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. MT
Location: Room: Salon 8, Edmonton Convention Centre
As one of the busiest stretches of roadway in Alberta, Highway 1 approaching Banff National Park has been a hot spot for wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs). Large animals such as deer, elk and bears have been victims of WVCs, along with the drivers of the vehicles.
In 2018, Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors engaged DIALOG intending to dramatically reduce WVCs in the Bow Valley Corridor while maintaining critical animal migration routes and connectivity. The outcome was the design and construction of the first wildlife overpass in Canada that exists outside of a National Park.
Attendees will get an in-depth look at the project design and construction, which includes 12 kilometres of wildlife fencing to keep wildlife away from vehicles and funnel them to the overpass, a series of “jump outs” to allow animals who enter the right-of-way to exit safely, and other design innovations.
‘Behind the Scenes: An Inside Look at Valley Line LRT’ presented by Georg Josi
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024
Time: 4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. MT
Location: Room: Salon 10, Edmonton Convention Centre
The Valley Line LRT is among the most innovative transportation projects Alberta has ever seen. In this presentation, attendees will explore the progress and philosophy behind this multi-billion dollar project.
A new 27-kilometre low-floor, urban-style LRT system, the Valley Line LRT will connect Edmonton’s downtown to Mill Woods in southeast Edmonton and Lewis Farms in west Edmonton. The Valley Line is a complex project encompassing 23 at-grade stops, three elevated stations, two park-and-ride facilities, operations and maintenance facilities, vehicle storage, two elevated guideways, a cable-stayed and several other bridges, a tunnel, and an interchange with the city’s high floor LRT system.
Georg Josi and Po Sun, Engineering Program Manager – Valley Line West, City of Edmonton, will discuss how the design team reimagined a traditional transit corridor to compliment the urban and natural ecosystems around it, while elevating the passenger and neighbourhood experience and integrating other modes, including active/vehicular transportation and the bus network.
‘Spanning Challenges: Designing the Wapiti River Bridge’ presented by Steven Oosterhof, Graeme Johnston, and Sheldon Twizell
Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Time: 10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. MT
Location: Room: Salon 9, Edmonton Convention Centre
The new Wapiti River Bridge represents some truly innovative work in bridge design amidst a challenging landscape. Part of the larger Highway 40 twinning project, the new bridge is a three-span steel plate girder bridge respecting the existing river crossing, while accounting for several design challenges. In this session, presenters will discuss how they overcame challenges like significant approach fills, variable subsurface geotechnical conditions, and an active watercourse susceptible to scour.
Construction of the bridge required careful planning and staging of river isolation works to build the foundations and substructure and erect the girders, while meeting environmental and regulatory requirements. The new bridge includes an underslung pedestrian walkway which will connect a trail system accessing naturalized areas and a Provincial Park.
Bridge construction commenced in the spring of 2021 and was substantially completed in the fall of 2023.
