Highway 63 - E-Construction Ltd. 

In Alberta, a province in Western Canada, the road is king. The huge distances to be covered mean roads play a crucial role. Highway 63 is 443 km long. It runs between Alberta’s oil sands production region and the main through routes serving the south of the province. It is also the only road entering and leaving Fort McMurray that remains passable throughout the year. From a lowly gravel track in the 1960s, Highway 63 was gradually wide- ned before being transformed into a two-lane road.

The region’s economic development, linked to oil sand production, makes this route a vital link for the community. The volume of traffic using the highway is constantly increasing and safety problems are a growing issue. In particular, numerous heavy trucks use Highway 63, slowing down traffic considerably. Other accident risk factors include the extreme weather conditions in this boreal forest region – snow and sub-zero temperatures are common – and an abundance of wildlife, which can be seen cros- sing the road at any time, both day and night. With traffic so dense, upgrading the route to a genuine four-lane highway had become essential in order to improve safety for motorists and traffic flow overall.

Following years of pressure from users and politicians, the government of Alberta announced plans to upgrade the highway linking Atmore to Fort McMurray to four lanes. Colas Canada subsidiaries were awarded six of the calls for bids issued, representing a total length of 159 kilometers.

 

Six sections, five subsidiaries

  • SECTION 1
    Length: 29 km
    Earthworks: 7 million m3
    Aggregates: 508,000 tons
    Asphalt mixes: 117,000 tons
    Subsidiaries: E Construction Ltd (leader), Wapiti Gravel Suppliers, Lafrentz, ACP Applied Products
     
  • SECTION 2
    Length: 32 km
    Earthworks:15,000 m3
    Aggregates: 582,000 tons
    Asphalt mixes:155,000 tons
    Subsidiaries: Wapiti Gravel Suppliers (leader), E Construction Ltd, Lafrentz
     
  • SECTION 3
    Length: 6 km
    Aggregates: 443,000 tons
    Asphalt mixes: 211,000 tons
    Subsidiaries: E Construction Ltd (leader), Wapiti Gravel Suppliers, ACP Applied Products
     
  • SECTION 4
    Length: 17 km Earthworks: 47,000 m3
    Aggregates: 268,000 tons
    Asphalt mixes: 87,000 tons
    Subsidiaries: E Construction Ltd (leader), Wapiti Gravel Suppliers, Lafrentz, Alberta Highway Services Ltd
     
  • SECTION 5
    Length: 37 km
    Asphalt mixes: 132,000 tons
    Subsidiaries: E Construction Ltd (leader), Lafrentz, Alberta Highway Services Ltd
     
  • SECTION 6
    Length: 38 km
    Asphalt mixes: 87,000 tons
    Subsidiaries: E Construction Ltd (leader), Alberta Highway Services Ltd