Communities across North America are expanding their networks of light rail transit as populations grow, funding from government flows and the imperatives of sustainable living become more urgent.

But these are large, complicated projects. Stories of delays and cost overruns abound. There are myriad reasons for problems, but there is one method of project delivery that stands out for delivering projects on-time and on-budget: Construction Management. 

In CM, collaboration starts in pre-construction by fostering partnerships and having crucial conversations to proactively solve problems. Risk management workshops are held that include owners, project stakeholders, regulatory agencies, engineers and contractors. “Construction Management helps identify risks, outlines the impacts on the team, assesses the probability and severity and determines a response time, cost and allocation of risk,” says PCL’s construction manager on the project, Brad Appleton. “You create a project risk matrix for the entire life cycle of the project.”

Since 2019, PCL’s civil teams across the United States and Canada have successfully completed 114 projects using a CM model.  

One recent project that demonstrates the effectiveness of the CM model is the Metro Line Northwest LRT extension in Edmonton, Alberta. The line features 1.5 kilometers of new LRT track and two new stations that include pedestrian promenades, public plazas, landscaping, tree-lined boulevards and a dedicated commuter cycle track. 

The project was delivered on budget and on time, a result that the client attributes to early engagement and openness around change management. “Working with PCL, we were able to understand as changes happened,” says Eva Cheung, general supervisor of the Metro Line LRT extension with the City of Edmonton. “We were able to monitor and assess and come to agreeable solutions.”

CM allowed PCL to lower the City’s costs and accelerate the timeline with timely constructability input. Working with a trade partner, PCL developed a custom, pre-manufactured foam formwork system that proved instrumental in enhancing productivity and maintaining consistent trough dimensions for the trackway’s 1.6-kilometer-long concrete slab. It facilitated faster pre-fabrication and stripping while meeting strict tolerances. “This was an opportunity for us at PCL to showcase what we can do as a company working in a CM model,” says Appleton. 

The Metro Line LRT is just one of a growing number of examples of how PCL helps clients successfully complete complex civil infrastructure projects by managing risk early. “The City of Edmonton appreciates the working relationship we’ve had with PCL,” says Cheung. “It’s been collaborative, and everyone embraced the partnership-focused relationship and joint problem-solving.”