Perimeter Highway | Winnipeg

[anthonyk]

Cellular concrete and approach slabs are being implemented at the St Mary's Interchange

[anthonyk]

[anthonyk]

Here is the preliminary design, doubt it has changed significantly.

[bomberjet]

Good news on the cellular concrete and approach slabs. Thanks for the info Anthony!

Anything else you can share with us? Seems like you have some good access to the project.

Originally Posted by bodaggin

What is the impact of abutment settling? Does it knock the entire bridge structure off? Or does it just create an uncomfortable heave at the abutment, that can be filled and levelled 2yrs after settling? Like is filling and repaving 30 meters of road really the end of the world? (If this is the actual impact).

It seems to me we're justifying taking 2yrs+ to build something. When we could throw it together in 3 months. Use it for 2yrs. Then come back and shut it down for 2 weeks once it has settled to finish it. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the effects though.

It's not the abutment moving, it's the fill in behind settling. So after a couple seasons of freeze thaw and the traffic loading it up, things settle if they're not compacted properly.

[anthonyk]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Anything else you can share with us? Seems like you have some good access to the project.

Not involved with the project, just went on a tour in late July and have a MERX account so I can see the tender documents.

At the tour they said they plan to have traffic on the bridge in late August but obviously that is now delayed. The plan is to construct the WB lanes west of St Mary's and the SB-to-WB ramp and then switch traffic to the bridge/ramps overnight, unclear to me how they are going to construct the SB-to-WB ramp while keeping that movement open on existing St. Mary's.

One possibility would be to have that movement use existing St. Mary's with a temporary exit to the new ramp once the through traffic is on the bridge, then they would construct the ramp between the new St. Mary's and the new ramp west of existing St. Mary's, then switch that movement over to the exit ramp. Anyhow, there are smarter people than me working on the project with better ideas, I'm just rambling at this point.

I don't think there was any other info to share that would be interesting.

[bodaggin]

Thanks BomberJet. Can abutment slab be sectioned (for pre-cast), or it must be continuous across all lanes? I'm assuming continuous, given the purpose.

FWIW, here's the only Bedrock Depth Map I can find around Winnipeg. It's horribly visualized, should be color zoned. But it's something. Use the HD link. It would have destroyed this thread if I posted full resolution pic.

Bedrock depth there is about 60-70 feet.

https://live.staticflickr.com/2642/4...362dfb0_6k.jpg

[bomberjet]

Getting into the weeds here lol

The abutment a bit of an older term I suppose. Could also call it a backwall. Basically the part of the bridge that abuts the ground at either end. In this case, the abutment is the piece in the drawing with the steel piles and square piece of concrete that is min 1.400. The MSE wall in front of it retains the earth instead of a concrete wall in an older design.

The approach slab, which is a structural slab that is supported on both ends, jumps over this part and sit on the transition slab. So basically there is a mini bridge spanning over the part where the issues occur. If the transition slab settles, it's easier to fix and less noticeable when driving. It's also easier to compact that rea with heavy equipment as it is not right against the bridge structure.

There's my lecture on bridge approaches. Let me know where I can send the invoice!

[bomberjet]

Wondering if anyone's in the know on McGillivray interchange and status of the design build procurement. Scheduled to be completed in 2024 with detailed design and construction starting next year.

[KnickKnack]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Wondering if anyone's in the know on McGillivray interchange and status of the design build procurement. Scheduled to be completed in 2024 with detailed design and construction starting next year.

I've been wondering about this too. The government has been talking a lot lately about how they need to tighten their belts, it makes me a little nervous.

[Biff]

Prequalification of Design Builders closed in Jun. The RFP for prequalified Design Builders is supposed to go out in Sep/Oct. Construction start is planned for spring 2025.

Tough to know if anything has changed in government, but that is the schedule.

[WildCake]

St Mary's interchange now open to traffic, all movements except SB to WB are using the new ramps.

They're actively removing the old St Mary's roadway where the new EB Perimeter lanes will move. They have Perimeter traffic down to 60 km/h in both directions without an obvious reason so I'm guessing it's to get people to slow down and get oriented to the new exits.

I'm assuming they'll decommission the lights soon since they're stuck on green for Perimeter and not serving any purpose anymore.

[bomberjet]

Nice.

I wonder if they just paved accross St. Mary's for the EB to SB ramp that would cross existing St. Mary's on the south side of the interchange.

[HydraY]

They have temporary access to the ramp using the slip lane at the Old St. Mary's intersection.

[plrh]

https://www.tiktok.com/@chvn951/vide...24373012172038

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by plrh

https://www.tiktok.com/@chvn951/vide...24373012172038

Seems smart to me but I'm the last guy to comment on road design haha.

[bomberjet]

Thanks for sharing! A lot of curvy bits with the round abouts. But looks good!

[KnickKnack]

Can't wait to drive on it!

[bodaggin]

St Mary's $130 million overpass. Good job MTI. /sarc

(Good road design is also simple for drivers to understand. It's also consist from one overpass to the next.)

Confusing, expensive, long construction: Here's your sign you over-designed the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdZV...el=CBCManitoba

[bryan_ca]

Originally Posted by bodaggin

St Mary's $130 million overpass. Good job MTI. .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdZV...el=CBCManitoba

"There are diamond interchanges throughout the province in different areas"

WHERE?? Where are these fabulous diamond interchanges you speak of??

Also:
Title: "Just outside Winnipeg". St. Mary's and the Perimeter is within the city limits of Winnipeg. Winnipeg extends south to the Floodway in that area. St. Germain had a referendum in the 1990s to either leave Winnipeg (like Headlingley) or remain, and it remained. They even got a new Winnipeg urban postal code at the time and the local rural post office was decommissioned (I grew up there).

[bodaggin]

Originally Posted by bryan_ca

"There are diamond interchanges throughout the province in different areas"

WHERE?? Where are these fabulous diamond interchanges you speak of??

I caught that too and thought the same. I'm not aware of a single diamond in MB actually. Only clovers and flyovers... Anyone? Anywhere??? Mouth fumble likely, I get it, media is tough, but still.

Another thing I found interesting: His last job of 3yrs? None other than WSP.

The same WSP on evvverrryyyy MB and Wpg road design pushing out garbage after garbage. It's not uncommon at all to move cross organization for work. Roads are a small world. But it's also very common for an organization with a proven history of big rigging to push "friendlies" inside the buyer's doors. Too much is fishy here.