In August 2020, DCC at Work checked in with the project team at CFB Esquimalt as they marked the installation of the first piles on the large B Jetty replacement project. Now, the team is 65 piles in—and hitting their stride on the three-year, 269,400‑m3 jetty that will require 273 piles in total.
"There's always a learning curve at the start of a project, but the pace is really picking up," said Darrell Teng, DCC's Coordinator, Construction Services on the project. There are now about 50 people working on the project each day shift—with two drill rigs running simultaneously, over two 10-hour shifts per day.
While the piling progress is worth noting, the real milestone of March 2021 was the completion of the first major concrete pour. This marks the start of installation on the first cap beam that will connect the piles—key on the critical path to completion in October 2023.
"Now, we're working full out to complete the piles, since the concrete will be right behind them," said Teng about the plan ahead.
The jetties are being built to very high seismic standards, which means each pile is anchored in bedrock. As they get further away from shore that bedrock can be up to 91 metres underwater. "They're big structures, so it takes time," said Teng.
The B Jetty project is one half of the critical upgrade work scheduled for CFB Esquimalt in the coming years, to accommodate the new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) in 2023.