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In November 2021, an atmospheric river devastated Highway 1 in the Malahat on Vancouver Island. For more than 60 hours, 182 millimeters of rainfall led to drainage failure, causing the Tunnel Hill wall structure to collapse.
Thurber Engineering Ltd. and McElhanney Ltd. collaborated on the challenging task of designing the repair to Highway 1 at the Tunnel Hill washout. As the primary route for 35,000 daily commuters, the Malahat posed dual challenges of slope stability and traffic. Combining Thurber's geotechnical expertise with McElhanney's design finesse, they created a comprehensive solution, including a resilient 100-meter-long retaining wall.
The team's impressive response time was also notable. They completed temporary design and repairs within 18 hours and re-established continuous two-way traffic in four days. The project exemplifies resilience, coordination, responsiveness, and partnership.
Last week, this impressive project received the 2024 Award for Design and Contract Preparation - Structures at the 2024 British Columbia Transportation Consulting Engineers Awards.
