Kicking Horse Canyon: Phase Four — British Columbia, Canada
Client
- British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Project Value 
$440M CAD
Market
Transportation
Services
Engineering
The Kicking Horse Canyon is a vital commercial and tourist corridor located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies – known for spectacular scenery and long considered one of the most dangerous sections of the Trans-Canada Highway. Kicking Horse Canyon Phase Four part of a project to improve safety and mobility over approximately 26 km of the highway, with phase four focused on realigning and widening 4.8 km of the narrow and winding two-lane highway into a four-lane, 100-km/hour divided highway.
Mitigating Risks Along The Highway Corridor
Considered the most technically challenging section of the project by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation, the project mitigates multiple geotechnical and avalanche risks along the alignment such as falling rocks, active landslides, and steep slopes with bridges over avalanche paths, rock catchment ditches, anchored retaining walls, and other structures. The fourth and final phase of the program was substantially complete in winter 2023-24.
“While it at times seemed like an impossible job in an impossible place, the team met all critical milestones on time and on budget while dealing with incredibly challenging terrain and difficult conditions. I am very proud of the legacy we created with a much safer and more reliable highway for all roadway users.” Mike, Executive Project Director, Transportation Investment Corporation
Kicking Horse Canyon Project: A Joint Venture Approach
Aecon, Parsons, and Emil Anderson formed an integrated joint venture known as Kicking Horse Canyon Constructors GP and was selected for the design-build project to realign the highway through the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The project held challenges for every discipline throughout design and construction. The rugged terrain and difficult access to each worksite required unique and innovative methods for all aspects of construction including foundations, substructures, walls, and girder erection.
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- Frenchman Bridge Girder Erection Looking west through Cut 3. Live traffic was maintained through most construction activities including bridge construction, rock drilling, bulk excavation, and mass haul operations.
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- Cut 4 looking west. Crews installing new rockfall attenuator in custom manbasket designed and fabricated to protect workers from rockfall hazard.
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- Bighorn Bridge over CPKC Rail and Kicking Horse River, looking west. Work continued on the project 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 363 days a year through extreme conditions.
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- Frenchman Bridge and Viaduct. Steep canyon walls and retrogressing slopes required a unique approach for design and construction. The bridge and viaduct were constructed in 2 phases (EB Lanes followed by WB Lanes) allowing traffic to be maintained throughout construction.
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- Left to Right: Sheep Bridge, Cut 1, Bighorn Viaduct, Bighorn Bridge, Lynx Viaduct, Cut 2, Frenchman Bridge, Cut 3, Dart Creek Disposal looking north. Steep slopes, Close Proximity to CPKC Rail and Kicking Horse River, and extremely limited right of way required detailed planning to ensure successful completion of the project.
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- Pronghorn upslope cut, Bighorn Bridge, and Cut 1 looking west. Massive upslope cuts were required in some locations on the project to resolve historical slope stability concerns and minimize rockfall and avalanche danger to the highway and the railroad below.
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- Bighorn Bridge looking west. Work continued on the project throughout the winter to meet the demanding construction schedule. This required heating and hoarding of concrete pours and special avalanche safety precautions to ensure work could continue.
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- Left to Right: Bighorn Bridge, Lynx Viaduct, Cut 2, Frenchman Bridge, Cut 3, Dart Creek Disposal, and Elk Viaduct looking North. Steep slopes, Close Proximity to CPKC Rail and Kicking Horse River, and extremely limited right of way required detailed planning to ensure successful completion of the project.
Collaborative Planning for Constructability And Minimal Traffic Disruption
Beginning during the pursuit phase, careful planning and ongoing coordination between design engineers, construction engineers, and construction teams was critically important to ensure the final plans were constructable while maintaining traffic on the existing highway. The intimate collaboration between all parts of the team including the owner and subcontractors ultimately ensured the project was delivered on budget and met all schedule milestones including successful opening the alignment to four lanes of traffic on schedule.
Kicking Horse Canyon Project Scope
We provided the following wide range of services on the project as an integrated joint venture partner:
- Lead structures designer
- Lead roadway designer
- Construction engineering
- Construction estimating
- On-site construction personnel
ENR Magazine Special Feature: Kicking Horse Canyon
The Kicking Horse Canyon project in British Columbia has been a multiple-phase process. We’re proud to deliver safety and capacity improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway. Check out the ENR special highlight featuring our work on this iconic project!
