Upgrades to a treacherous stretch of highway
The Kicking Horse Canyon project transformed 21 kms of narrow, winding two-lane canyon highway into a modern, four-lane highway. Construction included four bridges, nine viaducts, and seven mechanically stabilized earthwalls, as well as major cuts and excavations, utilities relocation, and rockfall and avalanche mitigation. Thurber was involved on multiple phases, including Phase 4 which encompassed the most rugged terrain of the alignment. Both Thurber and BASIS Engineering Ltd. provided geotechnical input. Thurber's scope included alignment options, preliminary design recommendations, slope stability analysis, geohazard assessment and mitigation, slope stabilization improvement assessments, and geotechnical investigations.
Video and all photos courtesy of Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure BC.