Rankin Construction was the successful bidder for this MTO project for the complete reconstruction of approximately 2 km of the QEW Highway near St. Catharines. The $16 Million dollar project commenced in 1994 and was completed in the fall of 1996. The project involved widening of the existing four-lane highway to six lanes plus the North and South Service Roads. The project also included the removal of an existing deteriorated culvert under the highway and the construction of four new bridges. The road work portion of the project involved the removal of the existing pavement and replacement with a new concrete and asphalt composite pavement design more suited to the high volumes and heavier axle loads of today’s commercial vehicles.
The bridge structure components of this project required the construction of four bridges. A new innovative design was used for the bridges. The bridges were supported by vertical H-Piles that allow lateral movement required for thermal expansion/contraction of the superstructure which eliminates the requirement of costly expansion joints and subsequent maintenance of the same joints in the future.
The project was completed in numerous stages to maintain the constant high traffic volume flow. During the work on this project, Rankin Construction encountered poor soil conditions that were not suitable for the subbase of the new road and bridge construction. Working closely with the MTO and independent Geotechnical specialists, Rankin Construction successfully adapted special soil remediation techniques whereby cementitious grout was pumped into the existing subgrade to stabilize the soils and allow the completion of the project.
