Client Success

Challenge

The Port Mann Bridge was originally built in the 1960s when the population of Metro Vancouver was 800,000. Today, the five-lane bridge and connecting highway serve more than 800,000 vehicles in a single week. The Port Mann/ Highway 1 improvement project is designed to address this congestion by providing a regional transportation corridor that can accommodate the more than 2.2 million people that now call Metro Vancouver home–as well as the additional 1 million people expected in the region over the next 30 years. The project brings with it the requirement to transport a much larger volume of storm water drainage from the expanded roadway.

Application

To manage the storm water drainage from the roadway, special purpose HOV, transit-only ramps and freeway overpasses, Kor-Flo® pipe and fittings and Inserta Tee® fittings from Westlake Pipe & Fittings were selected. Over 1,000 meters of 450mm, 600mm, 750mm, 900mm pipe were used at the new 202nd Street interchange to access the HOV lanes and Carvolth Fast Bus Exchange.

Solution

Peter Mihalech, Site Superintendent for B&B Contracting in Surrey, B.C., notes that Kor-Flo Pipe by Westlake Pipe & Fittings was very easy to work with for a number of reasons.  “The rigid nature of the pipe made it easier for the installation team to bed the pipe properly without any deflection issues.  Also, we were able to assemble the joints without having to re-round bell entrances.  Not only did this reduce time and effort, there was less need for compacting of the earth to complete the project,” said Mihalech.  “Prior to installing the Kor-Flo Pipe, Westlake Pipe specification engineers met with my crew on site to explain the correct assembly procedure. This on-site, technical “TLC” allowed the B&B crew to easily join the Kor-Flo properly, which was validated by the video cameras; every joint passed the inspection.”  Robert Bedard, AScT of McElhanney of Surrey BC and design coordinator for the project, commented that a review of the video inspections illustrated that Kor-Flo pipe and Inserta Tee fittings provided the storm drainage as-designed.  “The strong pipe walls, coupled with good bedding, haunching and compacting technique performed by B&B yielded drainage piping with almost no deflection.  All joints exhibited the required spigot to bell gap per Westlake Pipe recommended assembly procedures, so we are confident it will perform properly for many years,” Bedard added.