The existing lift station was upgraded, and the underpass saw a colorful enhancement to its functionality.

For the lift station, the interior and exterior structural concrete and steel were added, along with all new mechanical and electrical equipment and controls.

As for the adjacent underpass, PCL was responsible for the realignment of and creation of a permanent bike lane, new sidewalk medians and the addition of hard and soft landscaping to replace the removed barriers. New street lighting and surface treatments were added to the remaining concrete structures, and a third-party contractor provided the artwork to complete the enhancement. 

PCL was trusted to construct the concrete foundations spanning an entire city block, featuring an art installation by Canadian artist Jill Anholt. This was done using Leica’s iCon model-based layout system, crucial survey equipment that helped deliver this high-quality project.

The installation “Below/Before/Between” had over a dozen installments, from slab footings to retaining walls with floating slabs. All were uniquely shaped and sized with custom curves, slopes and cross-falls—this was done to symbolize Calgary’s relationship to the water, including the Bow and Elbow Rivers that run through the city.

Building these foundations required more than 1,800 individual survey points for the layout, pre-pour check, during pour correction and as-built surveys. With that, at a minimum, 7,200 survey shots were expected. 

With the help of the Leica iCon iCR80 Robotic Total Station, an intelligent theodolite, the carpentry and field coordination teams performed their own layout when and where they needed it. The iCon system allowed single-user operation and instantaneous access to layouts from 2D drawings and 3D models.

This technology benefitted the project team immensely, providing quality, schedule and cost benefits.