Recently, McElhanney celebrated turning yet another imaginary line into a real one (…it’s what we do best).
On Friday, August 24, Township of Langley employees, including councilors and Mayor Jack Froese, cut the ribbon and officially opened the 80th Avenue Extension. They were also accompanied by McElhanney and B&B Contracting employees.
The new connector road (to be named University Drive) runs from 216th Street to a new roundabout at the Glover Road/Trinity Western University (TWU) access intersection. Now open to the public, the thoroughfare provides direct vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle access to the Langley Events Centre, where TWU sports teams frequently play.
“This is a major piece of infrastructure we’ve been working on for many years to see built, and now it’s completed, I think it’s wonderful. It’s going to save time, it’s going to save congestion,” Mayor Jack Froese said at the ribbon cutting.
“The project was done well within the timeframe, and a little bit under budget – it was great to work with McElhanney”.
McElhanney Project Manager Dave Dulay said the road is the largest capital works project McElhanney has completed in the Township of Langley.
“We were able to deliver every service this project required – road, roundabout, multi-use path, stormwater, water main, PRV station, landscaping, and structural design. We provided construction and environmental services, and our team delivered electrical design, geotechnical services, and obtained the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) approvals.”
McElhanney Senior Construction Inspector Doug D’Appolonia said a new corridor always involves unique environmental challenges.
“You’re into more ground disturbance and must create the access to the site. You tend to create more potential for erosion, particularly with creeks at the bottom end of a project, so everything wants to flow via the natural passage of water, which in this case, we didn’t want,” he said.
Project Manager Dave Dulay said the process of obtaining the ALR approvals was not a smooth one, particularly given completion of the road also required the purchase of surrounding properties.
“The ALR approvals were the biggest challenge, and it took about a year,” Dave said.
McElhanney’s design of the intersection included a new roundabout.
Robbi Burns, McElhanney Site Inspector, had barely graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) when he started working on the project. The young professional said being on site was an invaluable learning experience.
“I had a lot of support. Seeing a finished product after going through the whole design process is a great feeling.”
Robbi said the road developed from design to construction exactly how he thought it would – the mark of a truly successful project.
“It has been an example of what should be done. If anything, it’s given me a standard to compare other projects to!”
Visit our portfolio to check out other McElhanney projects.
McElhanney’s Doug D’Appolonia and Robbi Burns.
McElhanney Project Manager Dave Dulay talks with the Township of Langley Mayor Jack Froese.