Last fall, the British Columbia Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation (TRCR) presented their annual awards at the TRCR’s 47th annual Mine Reclamation Symposium in Burnaby, BC.

The gravel contractor, R.E. Postill and Sons, was presented with the Sand and Gravel Category Award for the Rosebush Land Improvement Project at Coldstream Ranch in the North Okanagan. The project involved gravel extraction from a 68-hectare site on the ranch in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). During and after extraction, the area has been reclaimed with a soil material created by mixing fine sand with saved topsoil and composted manure and planted to provide forage for the ranch’s beef cattle operations. Reclamation greatly improved the agricultural capability by reducing the slope, increasing soil organic matter and water holding capacity, and adding 9.5 hectares of new farmland that is now cultivated.

Associated Environmental had a large role on this long-term project that required great foresight and accurate planning to complete. We are proud of our work and it was exciting to finally see it come together. A number of our agrologists worked on this project from 1995 through to completion. We provided advisory to the ranch and the gravel contractor on the Agricultural Land Commission process and completed annual land balance summaries and reporting to the Commission on the ranch’s behalf. Through this work we have maintained a great relationship with the ranch and have an excellent reference for one of our many projects in the ALR.

During the 30-year life of the Rosebush Land Improvement Project, Postill has extracted, processed, and sold 4.07 million tonnes of gravel and replaced it with clean fill from various job sites around Vernon.

The TRCR originated in the early 1970s in response to a demonstrated need in the British Columbia mining sector for greater government-industry communication in the area of environmental protection and reclamation. Membership is drawn from industry, provincial and federal government agencies, exploration and mining associations, and universities and colleges.

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The City of Port Moody has a population of approximately 33,500 residents (2021) and is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District in British Columbia. St. Johns Street is the main traffic corridor through Port Moody and originally had narrow sidewalks and no provisions for cyclists. The City sought to integrate active transportation facilities for all ages and abilities along this constrained corridor.

Public engagement confirmed the need for better walking and cycling infrastructure, the need to maintain access to local properties and businesses, as well as the importance of trees and landscaping to the community.

Associated Engineering served as the lead consultant for this active transportation project, led by our Vancouver-based transportation planning and traffic engineering group, with support from our infrastructure group and Red Deer-based landscape architecture staff. Our services included corridor and active transportation planning, traffic analysis, safety review, a HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lane utilization study, stakeholder and public engagement, concept development, preliminary and detailed design, and tender and construction services, including contract administration and site inspection.

Associated undertook a conceptual and functional multi-modal transportation planning and engineering study along St. Johns Street from Ioco Road to Albert Street. Project Manager, Ana Varhaug, tells us, “We explored the potential removal of the existing HOV lanes, and repurposing the space for active modes. One of the challenges was that HOV-lane removal is unprecedented and required buy-in from TransLink, as St. Johns is part of their Major Road Network.”

Our transportation planning and traffic engineering team developed decision criteria based on HOV-lane warrants, traffic operations, and transit performance data and developed a rationale for replacing the HOV lanes with active transportation facilities.

This evidence-based approach was able to concisely demonstrate that the existing HOV lanes are under-utilized and identified how the HOV-lane removal benefits sustainable transportation modes, thus supporting TransLink mode split objectives and the City of Port Moody’s Master Transportation Plan.

Associated supported the City in collaborating with TransLink to address their requirements. Monique Beaudry, National Discipline Lead, Transportation Planning, tells us, “As part of this work, we completed a review of the study corridor including traffic forecasting, traffic micro-simulation modelling and analysis using Vistro, and a safety assessment. As well, we developed initial concepts and prepared an HOV Lane Removal Report for stakeholder review.”

In Phase Two of the project, Associated’s team developed conceptual options for active transportation facilities on the study corridor. The preferred solution was selected through an options evaluation process and in consultation with key stakeholders and the public. Associated helped to facilitate the engagement meetings and provided engagement materials.

The project was endorsed by Port Moody’s City Council and proceeded to preliminary and detailed design and construction of active transportation infrastructure for all ages and abilities from the Barnet Highway to Moody Street, approximately 1.3 kilometres in length.

Associated prepared the detailed design, including the addition of bike lanes and multi-use pathways, widening of existing sidewalks, the addition of rain gardens into curb bulges, raised crosswalks, retaining wall design, streetlighting, landscaping (including streetscaping), and signage and pavement markings.

Associated delivered tender period services, and conducted site inspections and contract administration duties. Civil Engineer, Artem Zaporozhets, explains, “Construction was completed in August 2024, providing users with safer and more accessible active transportation connections and improved transit access.”

Subconsultants supporting the project delivery included Evolve Traffic Solutions (traffic modelling), Braun (geotechnical), Diamondhead (arborist), and AES (electrical).

Associated’s key personnel on the project include Ana Varhaug, Monique Beaudry, Breanna Jackson, Artem Zaporozhets, Chris Cheng, Alex Hackney, and Jason Bennett.

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Since 2022, Associated has been working on the design of Cultural Gathering Centres at Tachet and Wit’at for the Lake Babine Nation in BC.

Freda Leong, Associated’s National Leader, Indigenous Communities, tells us, “We are proud of the positive relationships we have built with the Nation and involving their steering committees and community members in every step of the design of two Cultural Gathering Centres. They have guided us through the design of these spaces which will support the communities. The designs are not twins, but are cousins. They are braided in intention, but include unique and special features – just like the people and the communities of Tachet and Wit’at.”

In 1876, the Federal government enacted the Indian Act, which gives the government the power to manage the affairs of Indigenous Communities and Peoples. The Federal government believed that Indigenous ceremonies like the potlatch prevented the assimilation/integration of Indigenous Peoples, and subsequently instituted an amendment to the Indian Act that banned the potlatch from 1884 to 1951. The loss of ceremony was crippling to Indigenous Peoples, as these ceremonies are deeply tied to their history, language, culture, community, and values.

Freda says, “During a visit to Woyenne, as part of our work on their Capital Asset Needs Assessments, conducted under First Nations Child and Family Services for Lake Babine Nation, we conducted a survey of the local Child and Family Services team and community members. Their responses will help determine the capital asset investments required to support child and family services through a prevention lens. What we heard from community members and Elders during our survey is that there is a need to bring back ceremony, culture, and language; to reconnect to the land, community, and spirit; and to heal through reconnection.”

While in Skidegate, Associated’s team met with the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program (SHIP) and attended an Open House to reach out to Elders and community members to gather their input and knowledge for the Child and Family Services Capital Asset Needs Assessment. One Elder told our team that their strength and sense of self was lost through colonization. Some spoke about the shame and fear of speaking their language when they were young and the punishment for practicing their culture, and how it was forced out of their lives. Elders spoke of the their healing through language and culture, and how they are regaining their strength.

Freda says, “Through wonderful programs such as SHIP, Elders are reconnecting, gathering strength, and passing on their culture, language, and ceremony to community. Today, we see the celebration of language and culture. Language and culture are healing. Gathering is healing. The new Cultural Gathering Centres for these communities will support and advance healing.”

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Click to see the State of the Aquatic Ecosystem Report

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In November 2021, an atmospheric river combined with a large, early snow pack, and warm temperatures led to wide-spread flooding of the roads, bridges, and water and wastewater systems in Merritt, BC. The city’s 7000 residents were evacuated for weeks, with some families still unable to return to their homes over a year later.

Associated has worked with the City of Merritt since 2012, when we assisted with preparing an integrated stormwater plan. In 2016, we completed a source-water risk assessment and protection plan. During development of the source protection plan, a Technical Advisory Committee was established, including planners, administrators, and operators, and regional health authority representatives. 

Project Manager and Senior Hydrogeologist, Marta Green, tells us, “The Committee reviewed the drinking water hazard inventory, discussed the risk ranking (likelihood of occurrence x magnitude of consequence) of each hazard, developed actions to reduce the likelihood of hazards, and developed emergency response plans for hazards over which the City has less control.” 

Some key technical aspects of the Source Protection Plan that aided in the post-flood work included redundancy in the well field (the City has five wells, with four within the inundation zone, and only one well with electrical damage); redundancy in water treatment (three different ultraviolet (UV) and chlorine water disinfection stations); and source protection controls at the well head (data logger conduit openings at the well-head were plugged).

Five days after the 2021 flood, first responders allowed access to the technical support team to start recovery, and Associated’s team mobilized to site. The project team had already instituted some flood protection measures. 

“We reviewed the scouring at the river edge and at the well sites, as well as well-heads for evidence of breaches of flood water. We also reviewed the air photos of the upper watershed for signs of new hazards and contaminants of concern.”

The team re-assessed the transport mechanisms to assign the “likelihood of occurrence”, including “direct entry”, “preferred pathways”, and groundwater recharge. They found that no flood water entered the secure well-heads, and no major preferred pathways were identified. The team determined that the well water was safe to drink, once treated to meet drinking water treatment objectives for Groundwater at Risk of Containing Pathogens (GARP) wells.

The project team also met with Interior Health’s Drinking Water Officer and City operators, to review the new draft risk rankings and the action plan. The actions taken included re-contouring the scoured areas around the well-heads, and a robust sampling program to confirm the updated conceptual model of groundwater flow. 

For the water system recovery plan, the team set up “trigger” field parameters, so the operators could quickly test if a well contained “flood water” or “well water”. We also created a GIS database to show “pass” (green) and “fail” (red), to focus on target areas.

The Source Protection Plan was updated to consider emergencies and potential disasters; extra effort was made to ensure the well logs and details were easy to find. 

Process Mechanical Engineer and Water System Recovery Lead, Matt Lozie, says, “As a result of our planning and preparation, as well as our strong relationships with the City, we worked as a team under an extremely stressful environment. The City was able to reduce the Do Not Consume Order and then remove the Boil Water Advisory within three weeks.” 

Associated is also supporting the City’s flood mitigation planning, and wastewater receiving environment sampling and reporting. The flood planning and dyke building is currently in early planning stages. The City is working on a plan to make sure the well infrastructure can withstand a flood event, including having all electrical panels above the flood level, air release valves for well flushing above the flood level, sealed well-heads, and remote treatment operation. 

Our key personnel on the project include Marta Green, Christine Indrigo, Aaron Yarumchuk, Matt Lozie, and Grant Dixon.

The post Post-flood, source-water risk review and water system recovery plan protects water quality in the City of Merritt first appeared on Associated Engineering.

Associated Engineering is proud to announce that our British Columbia operation has successfully met the requirements for the Certificate of Recognition (COR) from the British Columbia Safety Alliance (BCCSA), the authority for COR in the province, as recognized by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations (CRCSA)! 

This incredible achievement is the culmination of over a year’s worth of effort by our staff, and reinforces our corporate commitment to a safe work environment and culture.

COR is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes companies who develop and implement health and safety systems that meet an industry standard. The program rewards employers who take a strategic approach to workplace safety and are committed to reducing both the human and financial costs of workplace injuries.

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The Trans-Canada Highway / Highway 1 is the main route and a critical transportation link for people, services, and goods movement in British Columbia. In the Lower Mainland, the Highway 1 corridor connects Metro Vancouver to the North Shore, the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, and Highway 99 leading north to the communities of Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton. 

The interchanges immediately north of the Ironworkers Memorial bridge on the North Shore were designed and constructed more than 50 years ago. These interchanges are collectively referred to as the Lower Lynn Interchanges and include Mountain Highway, Keith Road/Mount Seymour Parkway, and the Main Street/Dollarton Highway Interchanges. With age and the growth of surrounding communities, the interchanges required improvements or replacement. 

The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure divided the interchange improvements into four phases. Associated Engineering was responsible for detailed design and construction services for the Mountain Highway Interchange (Phase 1) and the Dollarton Highway/Main Street Interchange (Phase 3). We were also involved in the functional design of the Lower Lynn Connectivity Improvements Project (Phase 2 & 4).

Priscilla Tsang, Senior Transportation Engineer and Deputy Design Manager/Project Manager, tells us, “The projects included improvements to address traffic safety, queuing, and delays.”

“The new interchanges will help improve traffic flow and travel times along Highway 1 and the Lower Lynn Interchanges, and upgrade transit and active transportation connectivity and safety.”

Mountain Highway Interchange: Associated provided detailed design and construction services for the new Mountain Highway interchange to improve multi-modal connectivity, capacity, and safety. The project includes a partial diamond interchange; a five-lane underpass; median and shoulder widening; realignment and widening of Mountain Highway; reconfiguration of the Brooksbank Avenue/Keith Road intersection; pedestrian and cycling facilities; and active transportation connectivity improvements, including a new pedestrian tunnel. Our team provided roadway, structural, drainage, and utility designs, as well as traffic engineering.

Dollarton Highway/Main Street Interchange: Associated completed preliminary, functional, and detailed design for upgrading the Dollarton Highway/Main Street Interchange to improve traffic flow and safety. Key components include a new eastbound on-ramp overpass at Main Street, two-retaining walls, on-ramp widening, a Highway 1 eastbound emergency pullout, and sidewalk/multi-use pathway improvements on Main Street. A unique feature of the design is a lane sharing and transit priority traffic signal to control the traffic from Phibbs Exchange and the Dollarton Highway and Main Street on-ramps to Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. 

Situated adjacent to other project phases, constructability and schedule optimization were very important to optimize construction sequencing and reduce costs of all four phases. Efficiencies in budget and schedule were identified during value engineering and resulted in cost savings to the Mountain Highway interchange. The design also accommodated the future six-laning on Highway 1 and the replacement of the existing Lynn Creek Bridge in the future.  

The geometric design was particularly challenging due to the highly constrained site, steep grades (about 8% on Highway 1 and 9% to 13% for Mountain Highway and the interchange on/off ramps), and close proximity to private properties. A tight diamond configuration minimized the footprint of the interchange. 

The Mountain Highway Interchange required extensive retaining walls. Two major soil nail retaining walls were constructed, requiring close collaboration with the geotechnical engineers.

“The walls were finished with a shotcrete ‘rock-type’ facing, which makes them aesthetically pleasing and well integrated into the surroundings.” – Priscilla Tsang

Located within the project area, Keith Creek will be directly impacted by future climate change. Increases in peak rainfall intensities will result in larger peak flow rates, which will require larger infrastructure to safely convey these design flows through the project site. The design has a 20% allowance to account for increases in future rainfall intensities due to climate change.

The design included significant upgrades to pedestrian and cycling facilities along Mountain Highway, including a protected intersection at the Mountain Highway/Keith Road intersection, with separate pedestrian and cyclist crossings, as well as corner build outs to improve safety for cyclists.   

Successfully delivering the project required extensive design coordination with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, Greater Vancouver Water District, Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District, FortisBC, Telus, Shaw, BC Hydro, environmental agencies, the local community, advocacy groups, Vancouver Coastal Health, HUB Cycling, North Shore Mountain Biking Association, Advisory Committee on disability issues, and design teams from the other project phases.

Our key personnel on the project included Ron Gratz, Priscilla Tsang, Shaun Bidulka, Ana Varhaug, David Harvey, Helen Du, Katrin Habel, Josh Thiessen, Jenna Lee, Helen Zhang, Sang Chung, Alfred Kao, Winnie Li, Jason Dowling, Helen Yin, and Siu Fung Ma.

The post Highway 1 – Lower Lynn Interchange Improvements address traffic congestion and safety issues first appeared on Associated Engineering.

As a high school student in small town BC, Senior Project Manager, Heather Robertson, remembers being interested in physics. But it was the creativity and hands-on approach offered by drafting and building stage sets that inspired her career. Heather recalls, “I loved drawing houses; I also wanted to go to the national art school in Montreal for stagecraft.” Due to circumstances, Heather elected to enroll in the BCIT Building Technology program after learning that she could develop her drafting skills in this program. 

Heather recollects that, early in her career, her work days were spent at large drafting tables using analog tools. She credits two colleagues in a small Yellowknife office who provided mentorship and guidance, and encouraged her to take part in all areas of projects.

“I learned to write proposals, draft designs, prepare correspondence, and take part in the financial management of projects.” 

Later, she learned computer-aided design drafting, which was state-of-the-art at the time. She shares, “I developed master standards for the office, developed the symbols (blocks) for architectural, electrical, mechanical, and civil disciplines, and gained design experience in these disciplines.” 

Her career evolved from drafting and design to construction inspection and contract administrator to her current role as a project manager. She says, “I have enjoyed working on projects that improve our infrastructure and benefit the quality of life for communities, businesses, and residents.”

Heather’s first encounter with the Associated Engineering team was in 2007, when she was working with the City of Prince George as their project manager on the Cameron Street Bridge and North Nechako Roundabout.

“The Associated team impressed me with their professionalism and thoroughness on a very challenging project. I built a good relationship with the team. When I decided I wanted a change, I reached out to see if there may be an opportunity to join their team.”

As a Senior Project Manager in our Kelowna office, Heather’s philosophy is to recognize every member of a project team, as everyone brings unique skill sets and experiences. “I foster a collaborative approach on projects. I think it’s important to get everyone’s input, based on their experience and expertise. This approach contributes to better project outcomes.” 

Heather believes mentoring is important at all ages and at all stages in one’s career.

“I have always been learning from others and believe this should start and continue throughout one’s career.” 

Heather advises junior professionals to approach their career as a journey, continue to learn and be willing to share knowledge and advice in constructive ways. She acknowledges that there will be many times that opportunities will inspire you and there will be many tasks that just need to get done. She stresses, “Look for the positive in all that you do”.

Away from the office, Heather enjoys reading, hiking, skiing, kayaking, cycling, and sailing.

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A series of heavy rainfall events in southwestern BC in November resulted in devastating flooding. Subsequently, Associated received many requests for assistance from provincial agencies and municipalities. Staff from several offices and diverse disciplines, including water resources, transportation, and environmental, responded to these urgent calls from our clients.

Members of our staff deployed to Highways 1, 3, 5, 7, secondary roadways, and other sites throughout the Fraser Valley and in the BC Interior to assess major bridge and culvert washouts, channel avulsions, and flooding and erosion issues. Associated also played a key coordination role supporting Emergency Management BC’s Emergency Operations Centre.

Associated provided emergency flood response for the City of Merritt following the Coldwater River flood that occurred on November 15, 2021. This event is now the flood of record and roughly doubled the previous 200-year estimate. Flood extents in the City were vast, causing dike breaches, dike and bank overtopping, two avulsions, a bridge failure, and extensive overland flooding. The City’s wastewater treatment plant was compromised and the FortisBC gas main supplying the City was scoured and suspended in the new avulsion channel. This all led to an evacuation order of the entire City.

Associated conducted an emergency channel assessment and recommended a design for a river diversion to put the Coldwater River flow back in the pre-event channel. Rapid dike inspections were then completed with the threat of further atmospheric river events, and recommendations were provided for emergency dike repairs, temporary works (HESCO Barriers and Tiger Dams), vehicle and trailer removals from the river, and a second river diversion. Associated provided hydrotechnical engineering guidance to the City’s Emergency Operations Centre, field reviews of all dike and bank repairs, and construction oversight at 12 sites with 10 contractors and the Canadian Armed Forces.

On Sunday, November 28, Associated received a request from Emergency Management BC and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to assist in closing a gap in the flood protection infrastructure along Highway 1 at the Sumas River crossing in Abbotsford, BC. Associated staff immediately attended the site and identified the required flood protection measures. We provided direction to the Military, the Ministry, Abbotsford Fire Department, and local contractors. A Tiger Dam representative provided assembly instructions to the team.

The team worked through the night to complete a 1.5 metre high Tiger Dam, approximately 100 metres long, to close the gap between the recently raised Sumas River dikes to the north and south of the highway. The Tiger Dam was assembled by 5 am on November 29. 

Thanks to our team who worked through the night/weekend to support the installation of flood protection measures.

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