River Valley Mechanized Access

Delivered for The City of Edmonton, and located in the heart of downtown, the River Valley Mechanized Access, or 100th Street Funicular Project provides a barrier-free pedestrian link to the River Valley trail system from the downtown core. This highly detailed architectural and technical project was delivered using a Construction Management At-Risk arrangement – with a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) on schedule and on budget following a collaborative preconstruction process.

Delivered for The City of Edmonton, and located in the heart of downtown, the River Valley Mechanized Access, or 100th Street Funicular Project provides a barrier-free pedestrian link to the River Valley trail system from the downtown core. This highly detailed architectural and technical project was delivered using a Construction Management At-Risk arrangement – with a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) on schedule and on budget following a collaborative preconstruction process.

The project involved the construction of a funicular railway from the River Valley to downtown, a broad urban staircase, a naturalized boardwalk, and a pedestrian bridge across a major arterial roadway. The signature pedestrian bridge contains an all-weather outdoor elevator integrated into a structural pier, as well as a pedestrian viewpoint which cantilevers 60 feet to the edge of the North Saskatchewan River. As Construction Manager, Graham had overall responsibility for the delivery of this Project within a Guaranteed Maximum Price established by The City and in accordance with firm schedule deadlines established by the Project’s funding model. During the Pre-Construction phase of the Project, Graham worked collaboratively with The City’s Prime Consultant throughout design development, providing iterative cost, scheduling, and constructability feedback that influenced the overall structure of the work program and ensured feasibility of delivery within the established budget and schedule parameters. Graham also managed the competitive tendering and award of approximately thirty different construction work packages through a competitive, qualitative tender process, ensuring that best value would be delivered to The City. A phased approach was taken in tendering the construction work in order to ensure that procurement of long-lead equipment and materials would not impact the construction program. In the Construction phase of the Project, Graham oversaw both the short-term and long-term management and coordination of the construction work program. Graham’s on-site construction management team was wholly dedicated to the successfully delivery of this Project with industry-best standards of safety and quality, utilizing an intelligent, proactive, and collaborative approach to project planning that minimized conflicts and maximized efficiency. Work was executed on-schedule and on-budget, allowing for a public opening in December 2017.This Project was selected as a reference project for two main reasons. First, it shares many characteristics with the Northeast Strathcona Pedestrian Bridge Project – construction of an architecturally important structure in a river valley setting, integration of construction work with a sensitive natural environment, prioritization of public space making, connectivity, and end-user requirements, and deep collaboration between construction, design, and owner teams through an Early Contractor Involvement program. Second, it clearly demonstrates Graham’s ability to collaborate effectively and drive success on a project of this nature. The on-time, on-budget, and high-quality completion of this project was enabled only through a collaborative process that involved and respected the expertise of the construction, design, and owner teams – if The City aims to deliver a postcard-worthy, award-winning infrastructure project in the Northeast Strathcona Pedestrian Bridge Project, the 100thStreet Funicular is proof that our team has the ability to support that goal.