Broadway Subway Oak VGH Station Micropiles
The Broadway Subway Project required micropile installation for the new Oak VGH Station, one of the highest-visibility transit infrastructure projects in Vancouver. TerraCana delivered 68 micropiles from within a deep excavation on one of the city’s busiest corridors, with the drill rig craned into position and tight milestones leaving no room for delay.
The Challenge
The Oak VGH Station sits beneath one of Vancouver’s most active urban corridors, and the micropile work took place within a deep excavation shared by multiple subtrades working in parallel. The 20-ton Casagrande micropile drill rig couldn’t drive to the work area, it had to be craned into the excavation, adding a layer of logistical complexity before a single pile could be drilled.
Tight milestones on a high-visibility public transit project meant schedule pressure was constant. Coordination with other trades in a confined, active excavation demanded precise planning to keep production moving without disruption.
The Solution
TerraCana mobilized a Casagrande CXP-7 micropile rig, lifting it by crane into the deep excavation to begin installation. Using a down-the-hole hammer, the team installed 68 micropiles at 219mm diameter to a depth of 13 metres, serving as tie-down anchors for the new underground station structure.
The owner’s engineer designed the work.
A pre-production load test was conducted on a sacrificial pile to verify design parameters before full production began, confirming capacity and giving the engineering team confidence to proceed at pace.
The Outcome
Technical Specifications
Key Outcomes
Project Partners
Client
