Who
Surerus Pipeline Inc.
Where
HWY 99 - Squamish to Whistler
When
May-August 2007
What
Utiltity Trenching
Why
"The selection of the Resort Municipality of Whistler as a venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and later the Paralympic Games, meant both challenge and opportunity. The opportunity was obvious... it would draw international attention to one of Canada's most beautiful skiing destinations. At the same time, some major upgrades would be necessary to make the site ready for the crowds of visitors that could be predicted."
Author(s)
Staff report, Western Construction News
The selection of the Resort Municipality of Whistler as a venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and later the Paralympic Games, meant both challenge and opportunity. The opportunity was obvious... it would draw international attention to one of Canada's most beautiful skiing destinations. At the same time, some major upgrades would be necessary to make the site ready for the crowds of visitors that could be predicted.
One part of the story was Highway 99, the Sea-to-Sky Highway that leads from Vancouver to Whistler, itself. Major upgrades are needed to make this major route safer and increase its capacity.
But energy supply was another factor in the equation.
In the past, Whistler has obtained much of its energy from propane, brought in by the railcar or truck. A natural-gas pipeline was determined to be a logical replacement for this system, one which would eliminate concerns about supply and safety. At the same time, natural gas offered benefits over propane as a fuel, since less CO2 is emitted in its combustion.
A contract for a natural gas connector line from Squamish to Whistler was given by Terasen Gas to Peter Kiewit Sons Co., Richmond, B.C. The pipeline contractor was Surerus Pipeline Inc., Fort St. John, B.C.
The project involved installing more than 25 km of pipeline parallel to Hwy 99. The eight-in. pipeline had to be installed on the shoulder adjacent to the fog line. It was to be a new experience for the pipeline firm, said Sean Surerus, project coordinator and incidentally son of the firm's founder, Brian Surerus. "We had crossed roads before, but never worked along them."
"Traffic control was the number-one challenge," says Surerus, since the firm had never worked in proximity to so much traffic–an average of 13,000 vehicles per day–for so long (May to August). Standard traffic control procedures were adapted in consultation with, and using some equipment from, Kiewit.