In the month of October 2020, GKM Consultants was successful in their bid to install and monitor the railway tracks located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The project is located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in the province of Quebec just 40 km southeast of the city of Montreal. It consists of the installation of a storm sewer approximately 475 m long, with a diameter varying between 1200 mm and 2400 mm, within the right-of-way of railway authorities (CN and CP). The instrumentation part was for the trenchless portion and consisted of passing two steel sheaths under the CN and CP railway tracks, each approximately eighty meters long.
As tracks were active during construction, requiring real-time monitoring 24/7, 7 days a week, an optical survey was too expensive and therefore automatic monitoring was selected. GKM Consultants was awarded the installation of the instruments thus fulfilling the client’s needs.
The monitoring instruments selected by Groupe ABS based on GKM's recommendation comprised of 2 SAA (Shape Accel Arrays) covering the anticipated settlement area (and more) and an RDMS (Remote Data Management System). Data were transmitted in real-time through cellular modem communication. Measurements could be accessed anytime and anywhere via the internet, to the Consultant, the Contractor, the City of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and key personnel of CN and CP thanks to a web-based platform.
The settlement were caught with a high degree of accuracy (evaluated at +/- 1mm over 30m) despite winter conditions and active rail tracks generating vibrations. Our RDMS system could show at a glance the effect of the excavation along with the generation of a real-time alarm.
The project lasted 2 months, with one week of stability assessment before the work began and 3 weeks after its completion. GKM and Groupe ABS provided a successful monitoring program to ensure track safety and gave confidence to the authorities of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu city and the railway companies.
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