Project Description

Robinson Consultants Inc. was retained by the City of Ottawa to complete the preliminary and detail design of the extension of Brian Coburn Boulevard from Mer Bleue Road to Navan Road, and the widening of Mer Bleue Road, from the previous widening limits at the Hydro One corridor (south of Innes Road) to north of Renaud Road. The Mer Bleue Road portion included design and construction of a 1km section of the existing Mer Bleue Road corridor from a two-lane rural cross-section to a four-lane urban arterial cross-section, complete with pedestrian facilities and dedicated cycle lanes. The Brian Coburn Boulevard portion included the design of the ultimate four-lane cross-section and the design and construction of the interim two-lane cross-section for the new 3.2km Brian Coburn Boulevard corridor, including on-road and off-road cycling facilities. Both roadways included stormwater management (SWM) analysis and drainage design, and construction of roundabouts at all intersections.

The design for the project was extended to include development of a Species at Risk compensation plan and the development of a temporary Park and Ride facility concept adjacent to the project site, adjustments to the Mer Bleue Road construction limits, and the requirement for the design of the future outlet sewer. Other additional scope included temporary utility relocations, and post tender design modifications to address updated AODA requirements, streetlighting changes identified by the City, asbestos removal and dewatering required for one property demolition identified after the project had been tendered and temporary intersection repairs required at the intersection of Mer Bleue Road and Brian Coburn Boulevard.

Project Description

Robinson Consultants Inc. was retained by the City of Ottawa to complete the preliminary and detail design, tender package, and contract administration and inspection for the reconstruction of 2.4km of Montreal Road (North River Road to St. Laurent Boulevard) and 700m of North River Road (Selkirk to the north cul-de-sac). This $35,000,000 construction project included reconstruction of the existing urban roadway reducing the number of lanes from four to three (Vanier Parkway to St. Laurent Boulevard) to provide upgraded pedestrian facilities and cycle tracks on both sides of the corridor. The project also included protected intersections, reconstruction of 2.9km of watermain and 1.4km of sewers, geotechnical and environmental investigations, transportation analysis and review, expedited utility burials and relocations, landscaping and streetscaping, and extensive public consultation.

This contract required working with the contractor and the City of Ottawa on items to assist the schedule, such as ensuring that issues are addressed and communicated promptly; effective coordination of utility and City of Ottawa crew work; and monitoring the effectiveness and potentially modifying operational constraints to maximize production.

The contract administration team was comprised of key design team members which allowed for a seamless transition from design to contract administration, thereby ensuring that any critical or important considerations, including public or stakeholder concerns, were thoroughly understood by the contract administration team. Roles and responsibilities were clearly identified at the outset of construction including critical communication protocols between the City of Ottawa, stakeholders, contractors, and the contract administration team.

Project Description

Robinson Consultants Inc. was retained by the City of Ottawa to complete the preliminary design, detail design, tendering, and contract administration and inspection for the integrated reconstruction of Bronson Avenue, from Laurier Avenue to Imperial Avenue. The project included full reconstruction of the major 4-lane urban arterial facility and upgraded pedestrian facilities.

Given the historic nature of the corridor, aging, and inadequate underground services, large diameter transmission main, local watermains, and combined sewers required replacement. The project included 1.2km of road, 1km of 900mm watermain, 1.2km of 400mm watermain, and 1.2km of combined sewer ranging in size from 375-1200mm. Hydraulic modeling was carried out for portions of the combined sewer upgrades identified in the City's O'Connor Flood Control Implementation Study to be constructed within the Bronson Avenue Corridor to mitigate historic flooding issues in the area.

During the preliminary design phase of the project, Robinson Consultants Inc. worked with the design team on the O’Connor Flood Control Trunk Level Measures Design Report to optimize the original recommendations for trunk sewer upgrades between McLeod Street and Clemow Avenue. The project also included transportation analysis, lane reduction review, and design modifications to address utility costs.

Given the size of the proposed infrastructure, as well as the presence of significant underground utilities (Bell and Hydro), Robinson Consultants Inc. carried out a complete three-dimensional analysis of the narrow right -of-way to establish sewer and watermain corridors. This limited the conflicts that may have required utility relocations (at substantial cost), while maintaining required separations. As Bronson Avenue is a designated scenic entry route to the City and Traditional Mainstreet, significant public consultation efforts were undertaken through the development of the preliminary and detail design, with a focus on improved liveability of the highly constrained Bronson Avenue Corridor.

Project Description

This project was initiated in response to a large watermain break in 2011 on the primary water supply to the south end of Ottawa. Robinson Consultants Inc. was retained by the City of Ottawa to complete a condition assessment and risk analysis to determine the optimal renewal strategy. The project included the design and construction of 1km of 1220mm watermain, 400m of 305mm watermain by directional drilling, a mobile pump station and temporary bypass pipe, three individual spot repairs, pipe material selection, corrosion protection, wire break monitoring system, tender package, construction staging and watermain commissioning plan, full traffic bypass plans for short term closures of Hunt Club Road, public communications and construction administration and inspection.

The Woodroffe Avenue watermain is a 1220mm transmission watermain that is the primarily supply for Barrhaven, Riverside South and the Village of Manotick, serving a population of approximately 100,000 people. Following the break and subsequent electromagnetic inspection, it was determined that 1km of the watermain had to be replaced. While this watermain was isolated for inspection and replacement, the area was being serviced by a 406mm watermain and booster pump. Since the 406mm watermain could not provide adequate supply for peak-summer demands, an outdoor water ban was implemented by the City. Robinson Consultants Inc. fast-tracked the design and tender package to limit the amount of time that this critical watermain was out of service, as well as the length of the outdoor water ban.

In an effort to add additional supply to the isolated section of 1220mm south of the replacement section, a 305mm watermain was constructed by horizontal directional drilling and open-cut methods.  The 305mm watermain was connected to an existing 610mm C301(L) PCCP at the north and to the 1220mm C301(L) at the south. Both of these connections were made using a live taps.

A 1km section of 1220mm C301(L) PCCP watermain was replaced within the project limits. This watermain replacement included new valves and valve chambers, hydrants where required and large services to the Nepean Sportsplex. The watermain design included a full cathodic protection design, including coordination with PURE Technologies for the installation of an acoustic fiber optic cable within the watermain, which is used to record prestress wire breaks in real time. Spot repairs were completed at three other locations, where the initial inspection had identified additional distressed pipes.

Project Description

Robinson Consultants Inc, was retained by the City of Ottawa to complete the preliminary design, detailed design, tendering, and contract administration and inspection for the integrated reconstruction of Albert Street, from Brickhill Street to City Centre Avenue, as well as the reconstruction of Empress Avenue, Lorne Street, Perkins Street, and Booth Street. The project included the realignment and separation of the Preston Street Combined Trunk Sewer, relocation of the large brick collector, separation of local sewers, and roadway realignment and reconstruction. Sewer work ranged in diameter from 250mm to 3000mm. Two jack and bore crossings of the high-pressure transmission main (HPTM) were also designed with sewer sizes of 900mm and 1676mm. The relocation of the large brick collector was fast tracked near completion of design when it was found that the existing large brick collector was in conflict with the proposed LRT Pimisi Station.

Due to the project’s proximity to the City of Ottawa’s proposed Confederation Line, LRT construction, and the adjacent National Capital Commission property, significant changes to the project requirements were encountered throughout the design process, including development and review of multiple collector sewer alignments and roadway configurations to mitigate impacts on adjacent federal lands.

Additionally, given the requirement to utilize the Albert Corridor as a temporary detour route for rapid transit during the construction of the Confederation Line, it was decided during the project that construction would be incorporated into the contract for the light rail construction, resulting in tight scheduling requirements for the completion of the design and tender package and extensive coordination with the City of Ottawa’s Rail Implementation Office and the Design-Build contractor for the light rail construction.

During the detail design of the project, the City of Ottawa initiated the functional design of the East-West Bikeway project, which included the Albert Street Corridor. Given the timing constraints imposed by the requirement to incorporate the Albert Street project into the Confederation Line contract, significant efforts were required to advance the design of the segregated cycling facilities for inclusion in the Albert Street project as a means of providing a ‘Complete Street’ upon completion of the transit detouring and Albert Street reconstruction.

Additional Complete Street features of the project include a comprehensive streetscaping plan, including pedestrian lighting and enhanced median plantings and boulevard buffer areas, and enhanced pedestrian and cyclist crossing facilities. Property Requirement Plans were prepared and submitted to the City for property acquisitions. A slope stability design was completed in order to replace a section of the retaining wall along the open aqueduct. Consultation with the environmental approval agencies was completed early in the design process to ensure that all required approvals were received prior to tendering.