Kicking Horse Canyon Improvement Project

Revitalizing Scenic Stretch of Canada's National Highway System

Although Kicking Horse Canyon—one of the most scenic sections of the Trans-Canada Highway—is the major east–west connection between British Columbia and Alberta and is essential to the commerce of both the Province and the nation, it has seen little improvement since its construction in the mid-1950s. The canyon is one of the most difficult portions of the corridor to upgrade, maintain, operate, and drive. In July 2002, marking its commitment to revitalizing this portion of the national highway system, the Province of British Columbia, through the Ministry of Transportation, embarked on the Kicking Horse Canyon Improvement Project.

The project, which is estimated at Can$960 million, will strengthen British Columbia as Canada’s gateway to the world by improving traffic operations, reducing hazards, and increasing capacity. The Trans-Canada Highway currently carries more than 9,000 vehicles per day through Kicking Horse Canyon; however, traffic is expected to increase by 50 percent over the next 25 years.

The project involves upgrading the 26 km between Golden and Yoho National Park to a modern four-lane standard with a design speed of 100 km/hr. Additional upgrades include improved roadway alignments, replacement of narrow bridge structures, and other design innovations. Because of the size and complexity of the project, it is being undertaken in three major phases:

• Phase 1: Double the Capacity of Yoho Bridge. Phase 1, completed in 2006, included the replacement of Yoho Bridge and upgrading 3.2 km of the highway from 2 lanes to 4 lanes.
• Phase 2: Replace the Park Bridge. Phase 2, set for completion in January 2008, includes replacing Park Bridge, as well as upgrading and reconfiguring 5.8 km of highway approaches to the new bridge.
• Phase 3: Improve the rest of the corridor. Phase 3 is in the planning stages and will address improvements to the balance of the corridor, including the sections from the Highway 95 junction in Golden to the new Yoho Bridge and from the 10 Mile Hill commercial vehicle brake check to Yoho National Park.

Design-Build Joint Venture

In October 2005, Parsons joined with Flatiron Constructors of Canada Ltd. as Trans Park Highway Constructors in a design-build joint venture to design and construct phase 2 of the Kicking Horse Canyon Improvement Project. This Can$125 million fast-track project included construction of 5.8 km of new highway pavement along a new alignment and the Park Bridge, a 90-meter-high, 405-meter-long structure above the Kicking Horse River. Parsons provided design management, bridge design, and construction quality control; Flatiron Constructors led the construction.

Despite technically challenging site conditions and adverse weather, phase 2 of the Project opened to traffic on August 31, 2007—21 months ahead of the original schedule envisioned by the Province. Meeting this schedule required active construction year-round. The final decommissioning of the old section of the Trans-Canada Highway and creation of a pedestrian interpretive trail along the old alignment will be completed in January 2008.

Public-Private Partnership

The Kicking Horse Canyon Improvement Project exemplifies the trend toward public-private partnerships (P3). The client, Trans Park Highway General Partnership (TPHG), will operate and maintain the entire 26-km corridor for the next 25 years in exchange for payments from the Province (Progress Payments) based on traffic volumes and service levels. TPHG is a nonrecourse special-purpose company established by Bilfinger Berger BOT Inc.

Our team’s innovative engineering solutions helped cut millions of dollars in project costs and shortened the construction timeline originally proposed by TPHG by several months on this program that won the 2006/07 Premier’s Award for Innovation. In addition, our work made this historic section of highway safer and allows traffic to flow more smoothly.

Parsons teams with contractors for the largest and most complex design-build and P3 opportunities. Parsons applies its industry-leading expertise in bridge design, roadway design, land use planning, tolling system integration, traffic control and intelligent transportation systems, construction engineering and inspection, and environmental assessment to the largest and most challenging projects around the world.

Services Provided: Design Management, Bridge Design, Construction Quality Control.

Client: Trans Park Highway General Partnership.