Tm3 Transmixers Put To Work On Transed Downtown Light Rail Tunnel Project – Edmonton, Alberta
MacLean’s ground support product line has included sprayed concrete (shotcrete) transporters for over a decade. Transmixers (mobile transportation of pre-mixed shotcrete) and Agitators (mobile transportation and mixing of dry shotcrete and liquid) are staples of mining operations the world over, where shotcrete is an integral foundation of ground support installation practices to ensure the structural integrity of underground mines is maintained.
The Trans Ed LRT tunnel project is part of major public transit investment in Edmonton to build some 13 kilometres of light rail transit line, connecting the city’s downtown to its south and west ends. The downtown tunnel portion consists of a 380-metre tunnel running from Chinatown in Edmonton’s downtown core, to the cliff edge of the North Saskatchewan River where it will connect to a new bridge.
Construction started in the fall of 2017 and is expected to be completed by this summer. The tunneling is a 24-hour-a-day operation, advancing at approximately 18 metres per week, to a depth of some 12 metres underground at a 6% grade. Two tunnels are being excavated side by side, using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), to allow for the passage of trains going north and south. Each tunnel has a dimension of 7 metres by 7 metres, supported by a 360-degree shotcrete spray profile. No other ground support is required with this type of tunneling and shotcrete application.
The Rig: MacLean TM3 Transmixer
The project: Edmonton Trans ED LRT downtown tunnel project
THE ISSUE:
The Trans Ed project needed a reliable and easy-to-repair shotcrete transporter for their short-term tunneling project.
THE SOLUTION:
Even though MacLean designs its mobile equipment almost entirely to the required spec of underground mining (where safety, ruggedness, and high productivity are a pre-requisite), the unit performed extremely well in an urban tunnelling context, and MacLean was also able to make commercial arrangements (the rental of the two Transmixer units for 12 months) that made it work for the client in an urban tunnelling project context.
THE RESULT
A testimonial from Jeff Richard clearly speaks to the results of this custom solution request put to MacLean:
“For the Edmonton LRT downtown tunnel project we had a specific, short-term need for specialty construction equipment when it came to shotcrete transportation and loading into our shotcrete sprayers, and the MacLean TM3 Transmixers fit the bill when it came to performance and the rental terms. The biggest proof point of that fact is that we never were on the phone to MacLean to deal with equipment issues. We also were impressed with the quality of printed and digital schematics.”— Jeff Richard (2017), Equipment Supervisor – Trans Ed LRT
For additional information:
Dan Millette
MacLean Product Manager – Shotcrete
dmillette@macleanengineering.com
216.225.7383 (c)
