The entire tunnel boring machine is 85 metres long and 10 metres in diameter. The first piece of the machine, called the cutter head, weighs 130 tonnes alone.
The cutter head rotates to break up the ground and a conveyor system moves the spoils to the tunnel portal for disposal. The machine also inserts the concrete tunnel rings as it moves, reinforcing the tunnel structure. The machine then uses hydraulic jacks to push off the tunnel ring sections to move forward. Advancing an average of eight metres a day, it will take about a year to build the two-kilometre tunnel.
Construction is underway at all six new stations and at Lougheed Centre Station where upgrades are being done so the Evergreen Line can connect to the Millennium Line. Artist renderings of all the stations are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbc/sets/72157632226221274/
Column construction for the elevated guideway is complete along Clarke Road in Coquitlam and is continuing on North Road. Installation of elevated guideway segments has started along Clarke Road and will continue down North Road using a launching truss that moves from column top to column top. Photos of column and elevated guideway construction are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbc/sets/72157632226282626/
Born in 1881 in Cobourg, Ontario, Alice Wilson was passionate about geology, and overcame gender barriers to become the first woman to hold a professional position at the Geological Survey of Canada in 1911.
Wilson’s other life achievements include:
- 1929 - Earned a doctorate in geology and becoming first woman geologist in Canada
- 1935 - Awarded an Order of the British Empire
- 1936 - First Canadian woman admitted into the Geological Society of America
- 1938 - First woman fellow in the Royal Society of Canada
- 1947 - Published a geology textbook for children, The Earth Beneath Our Feet
- 1959 - Celebrated her 50th anniversary with the Geological Survey of Canada
- 1960 - Received an honourary Doctor of Laws from Carleton University
More information about Alice Wilson: www.nrcan.gc.ca/trailblazers/alice-wilson/3443#archived
For information about the Evergreen Line in other languages please visit http://www.evergreenline.gov.bc.ca/languages.htm
March 7, 2014
News Release - Next step towards Evergreen Line completion
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