• Home
  • Projects
  • Northern Quebec mine chooses Ultra-Cor for haul road stream crossing
  • Haul Road Crossings

Northern Quebec mine chooses Ultra-Cor for haul road stream crossing

Economical precast concrete footings and MSE Wire Walls perfect for remote location

Designed for extreme loads and deep covers, AIL’s Ultra-Cor Structural Steel Plate was the perfect solution for this mine site’s haul road stream crossing the remote region of Northern Quebec.

The 19.6 m arch, combined with AIL’s precast concrete footings and MSE Wire Wall headwalls, made a very economical solution without the need for poured concrete.

Structure built without disruption to existing stream habitat
Like many buried steel bridge structures from AIL Mining, this crossing was built without disturbing the stream habitat. Once the engineered foundation soils were prepared on either side of the stream, AIL’s Precast Concrete footings were placed and joined together by steel plates and the base channel for the plate structure. Select rip-rap lined the inner sides of the footings for added erosion and scour protection.

Ultra•Cor haul road crossing on precast concrete footings

The Ultra-Cor structure was then assembled in a set sequence with the help of a couple of zoom booms and a crane. Once the arch was complete, the headwalls and engineered backfill assembly took place in sequential lifts.

MSE Wire Walls from AIL Mining are ideal for fast and economical installation using cost-saving wire components and native backfill materials wherever possible. They easily accommodate curves, angles or steps and the facing and soil reinforcing systems allow for the installation of culverts, bridge piles or other site requirements.

Ultra•Cor haul road crossing under construction

Ultra-Cor is the strongest structural steel plate available
With the introduction of Ultra-Cor, AIL Mining is taking engineered structural plate to new dimensions in capability and performance. Ultra-Cor combines all the advantages of lightweight construction with previously unheard-of strength and durability for the heaviest of loads. Spans can exceed 35 m (115′).

More about Ultra-Cor >>

RELATED PROJECTS

  • Super-Cor makes light work of a heavy haul road

    Peabody Energy is the world’s largest private-sector coal company. With operations that span the globe and a property portfolio that’s constantly expanding, Peabody takes pride in partnering with only the world’s best organizations.

  • AIL engineers world’s largest structural plate arch

    When Cardinal River Coal needed to transport raw coal from their new Cheviot Creek pit through the Canadian wilderness to their processing plant over 20 km away, they faced big challenges. One of the biggest was engineering a structure on the haul road that would be large enough to span Whitehorse Creek, and strong enough to withstand the weight of the world’s largest mining equipment, including a 2.4 million pound shovel. After reviewing several alternatives, Cardinal River chose AIL due to their engineering expertise and innovative products. The finished product turned out to be the largest corrugated arch in the world.

  • No traffic interruptions for Super-Cor heavy haul road arch installation

    When Atlantic Civil Products, a major AIL Group licensee in Australia, needed to convince a client that a large, two-lane heavy haul road arch system could be constructed over an existing twin track rail line and two adjacent access roads without traffic interruption.

  • Super-Cor Arch at BC mine designed for future dismantle

    When Teck Fording River Coal Mine, in the extreme southeast corner of British Columbia, needed a heavy haul road river crossing designed to dismantle easily at the end of its service life, AIL’s engineering team waded into the challenge.

  • Speedy installation keeps haul road project on track

    Fairbanks Gold Mining, Inc. (A Kinross Company) operates an open-pit gold mine located northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. A haul road grade separation was needed to more efficiently transport ore to their new gravity heap leach facility.

  • Wyoming coal mine’s own crew builds big crossing

    The Cordero Rojo Mine is located approximately 25 miles south of Gillette, Wyoming. In 2012, the mine extracted and shipped about 39.2 million tons of low-sulfur coal, primarily to electric utilities in the west, midwest and southeast US. When the mine needed a structural plate crossing (one of the State’s largest), AIL Mining was selected to design and manufacture a Super-Cor Arch with MSE Headwalls and Wingwalls.

The AIL Group of Companies