It’s one of the biggest construction projects in the history of Burnaby – maybe even the biggest – and it’s now underway under some land near you.
The project will dig and complete a 2.6-kilometre tunnel connecting Burnaby Terminal to Westridge Marine Terminal, according to a new post by Trans Mountain put up on Earth Day.
It’s being called a “significant Expansion Project milestone – the start of tunnel boring for the Burnaby Mountain Tunnel,” reads the post that includes a video (posted below) demonstrating how the project will take place.
“Once tunnel boring begins, the work will occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week and it will take approximately 200 days to complete,” reads the post.
Two. Hundred. Days.
Here are some other details:
- The tunnel will be buried up to 130 metres below the surface and requires no cleared right-of-way or surface disruption along its route.
- To prepare for the tunnel boring machine, crews constructed two retaining walls, one at each terminal.
- Tunnel boring will begin at Westridge Marine Terminal where the retaining wall was built using 100 concrete piles.
- This wall is approximately 70 metres long and 20 metres tall.
- A similar wall has been built at Burnaby Terminal and is 13 metres long and 17 metres tall.
- The tunnel boring machine is 122 metres in length when fully assembled – about the same length as a soccer field.
- In total, 40,000 cubic metres of soil will be excavated during the tunnelling, which could fill up 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
It’s incredible to see it actually happening considering all the legal challenges and delays, including stemming from COVID-19.
People keep saying the pipeline “will never be built” but it’s happening. Now whether it gets completed is another thing as forces opposing the project go after its insurers and continue to protest. Imagine if they dig this giant hole under Burnaby Mountain and the project gets cancelled. Yikes.
For now, work has begun that will change this section of North Burnaby forever.
