This year marks the third consecutive year Kelly
Panteluk Construction Ltd. (KPCL) earned the
Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association
(SHCA)’s Best Overall Large Project Award. Their work on an ex-tensive
twinning project along Highway 39 east of Estevan is what
earned this Estevan-based company the repeat distinction. They
were recognized in November at the SHCA Fall Convention held
in Regina.
Last year, KPCL received the award for work on ash lagoons at
the Poplar River Power Station near Coronach. A 30-kilometre rail
line at the K+S Potash mine at Belle Plaine – the largest project in
the company’s history – earned the original award two years ago.
A unique feature from the 2017 project highlighted the use of
GPS grade-controlled machines. This modern technology allowed
KPCL to build with the utmost precision and finish this top-prior-ity
job on time. Efficiency was just one of the many benefits of us-ing
this satellite-based navigation system.
“On the highway job, it’s allowing everyone who is in a GPS-controlled
machine to see a 3-D model and understand exactly
what all the grades are on all parts of the project without having
a surveyor lay it out for them every day,” said Read Smith, the
project manager on this job. “You can have a very good operator
that can make smooth and flat lines, but when you get into large
curves (like the Highway 39 project) and transitions…You’re talk-ing
about changing millimetres or centimetres over hundreds of
metres of roadway…and you’re making that transition gradual
and smooth and exactly the way they designed it.”
The GPS systems have become a common commodity at
construction sites and are mainly used for quality control
and surveying.
“They give us the flexibility – that if a design changes, to input
that change into the machine and carry on instead of having to re-grade
an area,” said Mary Panteluk, the vice-president of human
resources at KPCL.
Other features in this project include:
• The removal of the existing road surface and subgrade;
• The construction of subgrade and surface structure for 12
kilometres of road;
• The relocation of the junction of Highway 39 and Highway 18;
• The construction of eight kilometres of new double lanes;
• The construction of the new overpass for the coal haul road,
which enabled a new access for the mines to reach local
power stations.
While the GPS systems made life easier for Smith, the crew
and company, that’s not to say the project didn’t come without
its challenges.
FEATURE
The Highway 39 corridor between the North Portal internation-al
border crossing and Estevan sees a high volume of traffic, es-pecially
of the RV, heavy truck and transport variety. Remarkably,
there was only one period for less than a week where traffic was re-duced
to one lane; KPCL wanted to limit inconvenience to motor-ists
as much as possible.
“Throughout the completion of the project, it was necessary to
switch traffic flow from one lane to another five different times,
and we had seven different detours and cross-over sections,”
said Panteluk.
To be eligible for the large project award, the project must be
worth at least $10 million. Criteria includes the quality and com-plexity
of the work, safety, the accommodation of traffic volume,
innovation, community impact and environmental impact.
Additional SHCA awards
Other SHCA award winners were: Chemco (Community Relations
Award), G.W. Construction (Best in Asphalt Paving Award) and
Aecon Transportation West (Best Overall Small Project).
Community Relations Award – Chemco
Chemco was awarded a contract from the First Nation commu-nity
of Mistawasis Nehiwayak to complete a road building proj-ect.
Chemco as a general contractor not only completed the work,
but established a strong relationship with Mistawasis Nehiwayak,
which is of greater importance in solidifying a lasting relationship.
Chemco sent two qualified supervisors to project manage and
recruited 13 men and women from Mistawasis. The Iron Buffalo
Training Centre was an incubator to recruit these individuals who
required the necessary skill set, ranging from heavy equipment
operators (dozer, scraper, skidsteer, rock truck, excavator, flaggers
and assistant surveyors).
Feedback upon completion of the project was overwhelming
given that each of the 13 Mistawasis members had an opportuni-ty
to be paid union wages (which are tax exempt) and take pride
in a capital project.
This newly trained workforce is available for other projects
throughout Saskatchewan.
Best in Asphalt Paving Award –
G.W. Construction
This project was completed three months ahead of schedule.
G.W. Construction, WSP Group and the Saskatchewan Ministry
of Highways worked together closely to complete this high-profile
project well in advance of the specified completion date and on
budget, while achieving a high quality finished.
GPS grade-controlled machines allowed
KPCL to build with the utmost precision
and finish this top-priority job on time.
thinkbigmagazine.ca | Quarter 1 2018 | Think BIG 25