Use of Precast Facilitates Rapid Construction At Colonel Talbot Pumping Station:

On January 21st and 22nd, Coldstream Concrete Ltd. supplied an eight-piece custom precast concrete pump chamber to R. Russell Construction just south of Southdale Road in London, Ontario.

The City of London, Ontario, awarded the design of a large pumping/ forcemain station to Stantec for the design and administration in the spring of 2019. Due to the winter schedule with respect to the construction of the pumping station structure, Stantec specified the use of precast concrete structural elements to construct the pumping station. The elements would be produced in a temperature-controlled environment ensuring the quality. In addition, the components will be assembled on site during the middle of winter which could have a negative impact on both the quality of the end product as well as the construction schedule. Utilizing precast allows the structure to be installed with minimal weather impacts.

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Coldstream Concrete was selected as the precast supplier for this
project. Stantec worked closely with Coldstream’s engineering/technical
department to ensure both the structural design and manufacturing
would meet both the timeline and the quality of infrastructure the
City of London requested for this project.

The pumping station structure, which had internal dimensions of 7.0m by 4.0m by 10.0m deep, was comprised of eight separate precast elements. Each of these pieces weighed from 38.1 tonnes to 47.2 tonnes.

A number of walls and platforms were required as internal components for the pumping station. Coldstream was able to cast these details into the structural elements, thereby saving significant on-site construction time.

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In terms of logistical support, Coldstream coordinated the required police escorts and permitting to allow for these structural components to be delivered on site when they were required.

The total assembly time was two days. This structure could have been assembled in one day, but due to a significant snowfall event, the installation took an additional day to complete.

Dylan Gravisi Estimator/Project Manager Coldstream Concrete