The condition of the roadways in Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation (SBOFN) created a number of issues in the community including limited access for emergency vehicles. Dillon was retained by SBOFN to complete the preliminary design, detailed design and contract administration of approximately 5 km of road reconstruction. The project included complete roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, as well as hydro, telecom, and water utility relocations.
The existing topography (low lying area in close proximity to Lake Manitoba), combined with poor drainage, and unsound foundation material resulted in this main road being susceptible to damage from heavy rains and freeze thaw conditions. Coupled with this were undersized culverts causing water to run over the roadway. As a result, the scope of work demanded a full reconstruction with traffic being diverted to the outside edges of the right-of-way and full width subcutting of the existing roadway. This was backfilled with a biaxial geogrid and processed materials along with drainage improvements along the way. As the project proceeded, it was discovered that the waterline servicing a number of residences and commercial facilities was inadequate and needed to be addressed. Dillon, working collaboratively with the contractor, was able to adjust operations and incorporate this work into the main road reconstruction.
The project provided many opportunities for local employment including equipment operators, a project liaison officer and Dillon hired and trained a local construction observer who tallied over 1,800 hours of labour.
With participation at monthly meetings from members of Chief and Council both Dillon and the contractor were able to address local concerns and perform additional work (brush cutting for sight line enhancements, additional drainage improvements) with contingency dollars.