Client:

Province of BC – Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure

Project:

Marine Support for the Geotechnical Drilling Investigation of Taylor Bridge Crossing of the Peace River

The Scope:

JJM provided marine support services to a drilling contractor performing geotechnical investigation in the Peace River at the Taylor Bridge Crossing, Taylor, BC for an upcoming bridge replacement/upgrade project.

Overview:

The province needed to engage a general contractor with sufficient marine experience that would be able to facilitate the necessary geotechnical investigation to provide the data for further upgrades to the Taylor Bridge Crossing of the Peace River in northern BC.  The project required a contractor that was able to deal with a strong river current (averaging 10 knots), fluctuating river water levels, and low air temperatures that were dipping to -30 Celsius at the time the project was conducted.

The constantly changing water levels provided significant challenges to positioning of both the barge and the equipment. This was then further escalated by the impacts of extreme cold temperatures on equipment operation and maintenance.

JJM was able to utilize various creative solutions such as heating blankets, space heaters, enclosing key motors in tarps, and most importantly coordinating with BC Hydro to work with river water levels. The nearby dams that are operated by BC Hydro greatly influence the levels of the Peace River as the demand for electricity changes. By working collaboratively with BC Hydro, JJM was better able to predict the timing of the changes and coordinate the placement of its barges and boats to overcome some of the river challenges.

The result was a successful completion of the geotechnical drilling project which will provide the data that will help inform options for the future bridge whether that is to maintain the current bridge to replace it with one of the several options currently under consideration.