The 407 East Development Group won the contract and consists of a consortium of companies including SNC Lavalin and Cintra Infraestructuras S. A.. Both are the current lease holders on the existing 407 highway. In a considerable diversion from the current operating model, the province will retain full control over fees and operations of the highway. The existing section of the 407 was sold by the previous government for a one time fee, in exchange for a 99 year lease.

Infrastructure Ontario and the ministry of transportation are currently in negotiations with the preferred bidders and they are expected to wrap up in the spring of 2012. According to transportation and infrastructure minister Bob Chiarelli “Today is an important step forward in our commitment to extend Highway 407 East. This project is part of the McGuinty government’s long-term infrastructure plan and demonstrates our commitment to creating jobs,  strengthening the economy and building strong communities.”

One of the cranes supports was crushed and the gantry is now listing South. A gantry crane is a remotely operated horizontal crane that uses a large trolley and rails to move objects into place. No workers or members of the public were injured in the incident, however the cause of the malfunction has yet to be determined.

The Port Mann/Highway 1 Project is ranked number 12 on the 2012 Top 100 Projects list. The design-build contract was awarded to the Kiewit-Flatiron General Partnership with a total project cost of $2.46 billion. The crane operated at the construction site is 19 metres wide, 13 metres tall, and weighs 720 tonnes. In total, it will eventually place 1,158 pre-cast concrete supports. As more segments are placed, the crane is moved forward and the new segments are used to support the crane.

Importantly, Drummond highlights the fact that congestion and a lack of public transit options are contributing to economic inefficiencies that currently cost an estimated $6 billion a year and are predicted to cost $15 billion annually by 2031. While he acknowledges that Metrolinx has a long term transit plan, known as The Big Move, Drummond cites the $50 billion cost of the project as problematic because only $11.5 billion has been committed. Further, Drummond correctly notes that because his mandate explicitly excludes the ability to consider tax increases, finding new funding alternatives will be difficult. His recommendation: “review the roles and operations of public and private mass transit service providers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area…to find efficiencies in those regions’ transportation networks. Act on that evidence to improve the efficiency of those services.”

As well, Drummond notes that because the responsibility for public transit delivery remains with municipalities, efficiency is reduced due to administrative and procedural overlaps. While Drummond has no recommendations for raising substantial funds, he does suggest opportunities for creating some new revenue streams. GO Transit parking lots were highlighted as being a significant cost to the province because the company does not currently charge for parking in any of its lots, despite the provincial and federal governments having recently invested $500 million to increase the number of spaces at GO stations.

His next recommendation is one that many people have highlighted as being a colossal gap in Canada: the lack of a national transit strategy. As Drummond, and dozens of other people, point out, Canada is the only Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development member country without a national transit strategy and he recommends getting started on that immediately. To further raise revenue and improve economic performance, he promotes using a mix of tools such as High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, local gas-taxes and parking surcharges. Ultimately, Drummond makes it clear that “without clear input from citizens, striking the right balance of these measures will be near impossible.”

2012 Rank: 91

2011 Rank: New

Sector: Highway

Location: Calgary, Alberta

Owner: City of Calgary

Key Players:

Project/Construction Manager: A joint venture of PCL, Parsons and Dufferin (construction managers)

Funding: Public

Description:

The tunnel will run 650 metres under the runway of the Calgary International Airport and will extend Airport Trail from Barlow Trail to 36 Street N.E. In July 2011, construction crews used two Vermeer Terrain Leveler surface excavation machines to excavate material from the tunnel site to facilitate the installation of utilities such as storm water management and firefighting equipment. The utility work commenced in September and October 2011. Concrete pouring commenced for the establishment of the footings, prior to the pouring and forming for the walls and tunnel roof.

2012 Rank: 82

2011 Rank: New

Sector: Highway

Location: Baie-James Area in the Nord-du-Québec Administrative Region, Quebec

Owner: Province of Quebec, Ministère des Transports du Québec

Key Players:

Engineer: AECOM (consulting engineer); GENIVAR-AECOM Consortium (cost and delay control, quality control, maps, cartographic database, environment, civil works, geotechnics, structures);

Project/Construction Manager: AECOM (project manager)

Funding: Public/Private

Status: Under construction, with expected completion in 2016.

Description:

This project includes extending Highway 167 from the northeast end of Misstissini Lake 260 kms north to the Trans-Taiga road leading to the La Grande hydroelectric complex. The project falls under the Quebec government’s Plan Nord and the Nord-du-Québec Transportation Strategy. The purpose of the project is to open this region to mining, wind power development, forestry projects and tourism. It is currently only accessible by ice road.

According to David Bradley of the Ontario Trucking Association “this project will not only improve existing transportation networks, reducing travel times for commercial truckers and boosting job creation in the local economy, but it is an essential investment in the infrastructure needed to secure the future prosperity of the city, the region, the province and indeed of the country as a whole.” The new highway is expected to be completed by the fall of 2014, with landscaping completed by the summer of 2015.