The Trans Mountain Expansion Project will be in peak construction this summer. If you are travelling along the pipeline corridor—which spans from Edmonton, AB to Burnaby, BC—you will see thousands of people working on every stage of pipeline construction.

We’ve highlighted some key construction activities you may see in the different regions along the construction corridor.

Greater Edmonton

Pipeline construction in the Greater Edmonton area finished this spring, which marked the completion of the first section of pipeline construction on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. The work scope included the installation of almost 49 kilometres of pipe and took 1.5 million person-hours of work to complete. Crews will be working in some areas to complete reclamation. They will monitor vegetation throughout the summer to determine if efforts were successful and if follow-up treatments are necessary.

The Edmonton Terminal is over 78 per cent complete—crews continue to work on the containment wall installation and are progressing with pile cutting, capping, structural cable tray supports and walkway platform installation along Tank 5’s berm edge.

Yellowhead

Conventional pipeline construction will continue between Highway 60 in Parkland County and west of Hinton in the Yellowhead region of Alberta. Crews are using open-cut construction to install welded pipe sections into the ground. This summer, crews will backfill the trench to protect the pipeline, pressure test and then start reclamation efforts such as topsoil replacement and reseeding.

Jasper – Mount Robson

We are reactivating the original 24-inch Trans Mountain Pipeline through Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park. Crews will continue with our environmental hazard mitigation program to protect the pipe and perform ongoing maintenance. The workforce will decrease in this area as the summer progresses.

North Thompson

Construction along Highway 5 will continue this summer in the North Thompson region of British Columbia between Valemount and Barrière. Maintaining the flow of traffic is a priority as crews and equipment continue to work in this area. Many worksites are near the highway. We encourage you to follow all posted construction speed limits and follow the directions of road safety signage and personnel.

Right-of-way preparation and clearing are ongoing this summer between Valemount and Vavenby. You may see crews removing trees, vegetation and topsoil. There is potential that our typical work hours will be adapted due to fire restrictions. If this is the case, crews may work at night as we take extra precautions to ensure we are doing our part to mitigate fire risks this summer.

From Vavenby to Barrière, construction will be in various stages and range from right-of-way preparation to stringing, bending, joining and installing the pipe. As these stages commence, there will be an increase in visible lengths of pipe laid end-to-end on the pipeline right-of-way as well as numerous welding trucks and side booms.

Several trenchless crossings will take place this summer to install the pipe underneath sections of Highway 5. Crews are using a guided horizontal auger to bore a hole under the road and thread lengths of assembled pipe through it. This is the preferred method for this task as it will have minimal disruption to traffic and services. You may see the launch pit or an auger boring machine as you drive through this region.

There will be access to all amenities in the North Thompson Provincial and Finn Creek Provincial Park even though construction will be ongoing near these locations.

BC Interior

The BC Interior region is more than 50 per cent complete with over 84 kilometres of pipe in the ground.

Pipeline installation and backfill are complete in Lac du Bois; however, ongoing access will be required throughout the summer to reach construction sites in this area. In the Kamloops Urban Area, pipe installation is expected to finish later this year—hydro testing, valve installation and reclamation efforts will follow. Crews are also working on the Highway 1 crossing that connects the pipeline right-of-way from Kenna Cartwright Park to the Trans Mountain Kamloops Terminal. This major trenchless crossing will use a micro tunnel technique to drill under the roadways and will have no impact on the road surface or highway traffic. Throughout the summer, you’ll see workers, construction equipment and worksites in these areas.

Another trenchless crossing is underway at the Pembina Terminal. Crews are using a technique called direct pipe installation to drill underneath the crossing area and install sections of welded pipe. This work impacts the Pineview Trail network's east to west connections, which will remain closed until the end of the summer. Trails on either side of the pipeline right-of-way remain open.

Construction activities south of Kamloops and towards the Coquihalla Summit will continue throughout the summer and includes clearing, grading, ditching, welding and lowering pipe.

Coquihalla – Hope

Crews will focus their efforts on high elevation areas in the Coquihalla region to take advantage of a brief window without snow during the summer months. They’ll be working to strip, grade, ditch, string and lower pipe during this time. You’ll see pipe laid end to end along the right-of-way and large equipment, such as side booms, working in the area.

In the District of Hope, there will be an increase in workers and activity as crews continue to prepare both sides of the Coquihalla River for a watercourse crossing and related crossing of the Hope-Princeton Highway. Instream work will occur during August, which is when the river is lowest and is the least-risk window for fish and fish habitats.

Pipeline construction will continue from the District of Hope to Bridal Veil Falls. Crews will be grading, stringing, ditching and lowering pipe this summer. As progress continues in this area, you’ll see an increase in large equipment, such as excavators and welding trucks.

Fraser Valley

Pipeline construction will continue throughout the summer from Bridal Veil Falls to 232nd St near Langley and will range from open cut construction to pre-construction work, such as staking and surveying.

In Chilliwack, crews are focusing on construction through the Vedder Middle School and Watson Elementary School sports fields. Crews will use open cut construction to install the pipeline through the fields of each location. This work will take place throughout July and August to minimize construction impacts during the school year. Each sports field will be closed to the public during construction.

Work in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood of Abbotsford will continue throughout the summer and will be a combination of open cut construction and horizontal auger bores. At Poplar Court, one of the main locations where a horizontal auger bore will be used, we’ll be using sound curtains to mitigate the impacts of noise from construction. Throughout the neighbourhood, there may be traffic disruptions near worksites. For your safety and the safety of workers, please follow all traffic control personnel instructions, as well as posted signage and speed limits.

Lower Mainland

Between Langley and the Fraser River, crews are preparing the right-of-way in a series of phased activities. This includes surveying, flagging and staking the right-of-way, preparing temporary workspace, clearing trees and vegetation, and installing signage. Work at the Fraser River is anticipated to resume this summer. Crews are going to use a horizontal directional drill to cross under the waterway. The first step when work resumes will be the installation of casing on the Coquitlam side of the river.

Construction in Coquitlam is nearly 40 per cent complete. In July, crews will start restoration activities along United Boulevard and Hartley Avenue by re-paving roads and painting traffic lanes. Construction speed limits will remain in place during this time. Pending all necessary approvals, pipeline construction will occur in a series of phased activities along Government Street between Horne Street and the Brunette Fraser Regional Greenway – Burnaby Mountain Urban Trail.  Starting this summer, Government Street will be closed to traffic and a detour will be in place for approximately nine months. There will be safety signage and traffic control personnel on-site to provide reroute instructions.

Trans Mountain is currently constructing an underground tunnel that connects Burnaby Terminal and Westridge Marine Terminal. The tunnel-boring machine is scheduled to finish the 2.6-kilometre tunnel by late summer and currently has less than one kilometre left to travel.

At Westridge Marine Terminal, crews continue to pour concrete in the Manifold Area and weld pipe in the Mainline Piperack Area. On the water, the construction of Berths 1 and 2 continue towards completion as crews also work to install piles for Berth 3.