Sureway was Prime Contract on this project which began construction in the fall of 2013 and the interchange was opened in the fall of 2015. Final paving was completed in 2016. The interchange provides access to roughly 12,000 residents and new businesses. Project and construction management along with material procurement was handled out of Sureway’s Fort McMurray division with corporate support and equipment sourcing from the Edmonton head office. This significant earthworks scope was complicated by the need to haul across 4 active lanes of Hwy 63, which was safely and successfully executed through thorough planning and coordination with multiple stakeholders. Extensive water management and environmental monitoring programs were developed and implemented by Sureway, including the design and construction of a 3.67m diameter structural steel plate culvert for the stream diversion within Goat’s Head Creek.

At the early stages of this project, existing HWY 63 needed to be realigned through the project to allow for the construction the new alignments which required major traffic detouring design and planning. Sureway safely implemented the traffic accommodation strategy for seamless and efficient rerouting of Highway 63, which sees over 24,000 vehicle per day. Prior to the implementation stage, local businesses, bussing, and transport companies were consulted to communicate routing changes.

Due to the large volume of equipment needed for the project, Sureway had a large team of mechanics and lube technicians stationed in Fort McMurray to ensure minimal equipment down time. In addition, whenever a piece of equipment needed major repair, a replacement piece was sent out of Edmonton for a swap out to mitigate production down time.