THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
$35 per person by April 22; $50 per person thereafter. Fee includes transportation and expert guides.
The City of Richmond is a unique, progressive island city, located in the mouth of the Fraser river with the coastal mountain range as backdrop and in close proximity to downtown Vancouver and the US border. With a population of over 185,400 people, Richmond offers a harmonious mix of residential and commercial property, agricultural lands, industrial parks, waterways, and natural areas. Its economy supports more than 100,000 jobs in various sectors. In recent years, Richmond has emerged as a leading center for high-tech industries.
The City of Richmond will develop, build, own, and operate a world-class multi-use community facility that will host the long track speed skating competition for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The “Richmond Oval” is located on a prominent waterfront site within 32 acres of city-owned land, just minutes from Vancouver international Airport. Post-Games, the facility will provide an active venue for summer and winter sports, recreation, culture, business, and environment in one
pristine location.
The oval, now under construction, is scheduled to open in Fall 2008. The one-of-a-kind five-acre roofed structure features hollow, triangularshaped composite wood-steel arches that span 310 feet and conceal mechanical ducts, electrical conduits, and sprinkler pipes. Spanning between the arches are novel prefabricated “wood wave” panels consisting of pine beetle kill 2/4s and plywood. The panels not only provide an economical structural solution but also a stunning aesthetic quality and enhanced acoustic performance.
Olympic Canada Line Tour
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
$35 per person by April 22; $50 per person thereafter. Fee includes transportation and expert guides.
The $1.9 billion Canada Line Rapid Transit Project is the largest public-private partnership in British Columbia. It connects
downtown Vancouver with Richmond and the Airport, and is being partially financed, designed, constructed, and maintained by SNC-Lavalin and its partners. The alignment, which is 19 km long, consists of an elevated and at-grade guideway, two bridges crossing the Fraser River, a cut and cover tunnel down Cambie Street, and a bored tunnel under downtown Vancouver. There are 16 stations, 10 traction-power substations, and an operations and maintenance facility; eight of the stations are underground, six are elevated, and two are at-grade.
Expert Guides:
• Roger Woodhead, Technical Director for the project and responsible for overseeing all engineering and technical issues. He will discuss how the project has been organized to make the best use of local and international resources, how the many challenges are being resolved, and the current status of construction.
• Chris McCarthy, Director of Fixed Facilities for the project and responsible for overseeing the design of the stations and substations, and the operations and maintenance center. He will discuss how the project translated the system’s global transit planning objectives through to establishing the station architecture, provide an overview of the current station designs, touch on some of the technical challenges, and give an update on the current status of station construction.
