The early preparation for the foundation work for the MTS Centre continued this week. Subterranean Limited of Winnipeg is installing soldier piles and wood lagging along Donald Street and Graham Avenue to ensure that there is no damage to the surrounding city streets during construction. As demolition is completed, this protective wall of wood and steel piles will extend around the entire site.
The walls of the former Eaton’s store are now completely down. Removal of mixed waste, metal, concrete and wood from the demolition will be complete by the end of February. The last of the old building will disappear with the removal of what remains of the foundation walls and concrete slab basement floor. The excavation of the earth for the new project will then continue to a depth of nineteen feet below street level.
The foundation for True North will sit on 498 piles that are to be installed by Subterranean in the months ahead. The piles are being placed to an average depth of 36 feet into the ground below the building and are anchored a further four and a half feet into the bedrock. There will be 277 driven pre-cast piles – 153 of them under the event and ice floor alone – and 221 cast-in-place caissons. The caissons are larger than the pre-cast piles and vary in diameter from 36 inches to 72 inches. They consist of concrete poured right at the site into a steel cylinder sleeve that extends down into the bedrock. The steel sleeve is removed after the concrete sets. Each of the large caissons is capable of bearing and supporting 1400 tons of weight.
For more information contact:
Jim Millican
Vice President Marketing and Communications
True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd
(204) 989 - 6813, cell 792 - 4145
[True North Construction Demolition Archive]
