Drill Bits and Dynamite Part Six ...More Sea to Sky Stories and Pics

Lucky for me...very, very lucky for me, as the Sea to Sky job progressed, it got steadily more complex and challenging. If I would have been faced with all the impossible tasks, right off the hop, I would have just melted into a little puddle of sweat. I had faith in myself and the people working with me, that given the tools and the ability to be creative, all the technical issues could be tamed.
 Cut 10, was the next impossible task. Situated above an active railway, and ocean, below a busy main highway...it was a huge step up in complexity. Doing major damage to the tracks was a no-no. There were scheduled trains, both freight and passenger everyday. The railroad company had no sense of ha-ha about having their property buried in blast rock just so we could build a new road to the Olympics in Whistler. Just getting road building machines to the start of the job was tough enough. High and nearly vertical bluffs from both approaches, coupled with threatening overhangs, caused a few hoe operators to say "no thanks". Constant danger of rockfall from above, or tumbling off the narrow ledges while working to make some sort of progress, kept us all on our toes.

 This section of the blasting work got done with ZERO accidents or injuries, despite the viciously difficult terrain. There are several reasons for this...the primo number one was that we had experienced west coast logging road blasters on the crew. They were comfortable with the bluffs and heights involved..plus they knew how to spot trouble areas and take appropriate action. We took the time, and spent a shitload of money on blasting and scaling the threats from the huge overhanging rock above the work area.
 All of the workers who toiled on this section, from driller/blasters to hoe operators and our various support crews worked together extremely well to make  Cut 10 a great success.
 The first aerial photos of the work area are from my original lo-res digital camera. They will get the job done and give you a feel for what we we up against. I'll give you a bit of a tour to familiarize you with the terrain.

Fairly intimidating view looking northward...I stood here for many hours and pondered how to approach the beast

Looking at the other approach and huge slabs and overhangs that endanger workers below

First delivery of protective blast mats for laying over the rail tracks before every blast

Pouring a massive concrete footing the slow and pain-full way, the rail mounted excavator had to push the trailer back to Pasco Rd to reload everytime

Hoe drill working on rock bolting to stabilize upper bluffs, on a late winter afternoon

Blast rock after the trim shot, the whole slab was drilled and loaded while hanging from ropes

Rock scalers hanging from ropes to remove loose rocks by hand

First few steps towards build a trail to the rock face

The hoe drill gets into the first bit of rock at the south end of Cut 10

If a guy has to work, you might as well have a great view out the window

The results of one of the first blasts at the south end...we tried to hold as much rock as possible on the ledge to use for the trail building, and moving forward

The rails were protected from the blast rock crashing down with the thick rubber mats

This is where it gets interesting for the machine operator....working on a high narrow bench..with a long drop to the tracks below

Drilling the holes for another "go ahead" shot...photographed from down at the tracks...looking past the retaining wall

The blaster is out front. showing the driller where he wants the holes to go

More nice results from another shot....for a while we were lucky to have a natural face on the backwall to make our job easier...until we had to turn in...and do it the hard way.   

Yup...it's a long and painful drop if you trip and fall over the edge

The mats doing their job to protect the rails and switch gear

 The ocean is just on the other side of the tracks. This is a popular fishing area called " Hole in the Wall"...just outside of Horseshoe Bay. There were times when we had to hire the people from Sewell's marina, to go out in their Zodiac boat  to remove fishermen and their boats from the danger area. So to get a shot off...
1. Remove boats from danger zone ( possible flyrock )
2. When the last train goes by...put 60 to 80 blast mats on the tracks
3. Remove workers from retaining wall work below
4. Pull back our drilling gear
5. Close the Squamish Highway above the blast area
6. Sound the 12 warning whistles and then push the button and hope for great results
7. Clean up the mess on the tracks before the next train comes through
 You manage all this with 2 cellphones, a Kiewit work radio, and a marine VHF....all chattering at once

The surveyors telling us where we are and where we need to go....taking their own chances in the steep terrain

This is what we like to call "High pucker factor"... sitting on a ledge..trying to bash loose rock out of the wall....hoping and praying that the whole thing doesn't come down on you

The late shift

Bigger view to show the scale of the whole thing....wall footings at outside of future highway lanes are going in....even as we are still working on the cut

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Extending the retaining wall after we are finished with the access ramp

Cold and crappy day to pour concrete....this is at the very far north end of the Cut 10 area...technically just past the smaller Cut 11 and across from Cut 12

The next few photos document the removal of the upper portion of the Cut 10 area. Although in the same general location, the work on top is to make room for the four lanes of traffic coming off the Cut 9 ramp. I think that officially it was called Wall 1025...I could be wrong on that

Working beside traffic and telephone and super expensive fiber-optic lines.....break those and go straight to hell

Work in this area is not as dramatic as below, but it does require teamwork and a cool head to stay safe, while doing great work

We had single lane alternating traffic, while the blasting work was proceeding, totally closed for the actual shots

When placing the 7000 lb blast masts, the blaster has to totally and completely trust the hoe operator to do the right thing

Teamwork takes some of the "grunt" out of the heavy work

Not too hard of a job eh?...don't break the communication lines and don't drop the giant boulder on the rail track below....but do a nice job for super cheap and don't take all day

The driller has to be careful when he steps out of the cab

Successful blasting close to the utility pole

Look ma...no more rock bump

Cool shot, the Rocky Mountaineer passenger train heading north to Whistler...BC Ferry coming into Horseshoe Bay...construction workers waiting beside the tracks...hoe and rock truck up on the haul road

Here is a youtube video that someone else shot...conveniently of the finished Cut 10!...finished and paved. You can still see a bit of chaos and pavement damage from ongoing Cut 9 work.

 To be continued..........