Repairs to dozens of cracked concrete pillars along Edmonton’s busy Valley Line Southeast LRT are nearly complete, paving the way for final safety testing of the 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) route.
At a press conference on Tuesday, TransEd CEO Ronald Joncas said 94 percent of structural repairs to the piers supporting the elevated track sections have been completed.
“We are at the end of the repair process,” Joncas said.
“The final work includes finishing and cleaning the concrete surface, which will not affect the testing of the train.
“In fact, you may see trains running the entire route, from 102nd Street to Mill Woods, before the new year.”
The $1.8 billion public-private partnership between TransEd and the City of Edmonton is two years behind schedule.
The line, which will run between Mill Woods and downtown, was scheduled to open by December 2020, but construction has been delayed several times, most recently due to structural problems discovered this summer.
In August, TransEd announced that cracks had been discovered in 18 of the 45 concrete piers that support elevated sections of the line. About a month later, three more were discovered. In mid-November, TransEd announced that 30 of the 45 piers needed repairs.
An engineering assessment found that the steel reinforcement in the pillars was inadequate, leading to cracks.
Train tests on the elevated routes were suspended while engineers looked for possible solutions.
The train movement along the entire route will allow TransEd to begin the final phase of safety testing, Joncas said.
Line-wide testing and independent safety certifications will begin in January, he said. Lane and road closures will also end early next month, he said.
The tests will include operating scenarios in collaboration with maintenance and operations staff and determine how the trains will handle peak demand during peak hours and special events, Joncas said.
“We look forward to beginning these final line-wide tests and demonstrations, as well as safety certification, in January,” he said.
“TransEd is committed to delivering the Valley Line Southeast in the coming months in a manner that fully meets the safety requirements that Edmontonians expect and deserve.”
Joncas said TransEd will keep Edmontonians and the city updated on new timelines for the project as final testing progresses.
He thanked the city residents for their “continued patience” with the project.
Three methods were used to strengthen the existing bridge structure. Repairs include steel reinforcements, additional bracing and concrete infill.
At some pillars, reinforcing steel was drilled and anchored into the existing concrete. The steel reinforcements will help strengthen the existing steel structure.
Some pillars use external supports. They consist of steel beams connected to each other by tensioned steel rods.
Concrete membranes were installed on some of the damaged pillars to provide additional structural support.
Since last week, the last steel beam bolts have been tightened, all steel beams have been put in place and all new concrete membranes have been poured.
Since construction on TransEd began in spring 2016, the project has faced a number of setbacks.
The biggest obstacle arose in the spring of 2018, when workers discovered a car-sized concrete slab nine metres below the surface of the North Saskatchewan River, delaying work on the Tawatina Bridge.
Further delays were attributed to a longer-than-expected testing process for the new trains.
Taxpayers will not be held responsible for any cost overruns on the project. The TransEd consortium, which was created specifically to build the light rail system using the P3 model, will be held responsible for any cost overruns and errors.
