Rebuilding Stairway on a Slope

5e Avenue, rue Lévis and Amherst, Trois-Rivières, PQ.

Date: summer of 2014

Dealer: Techno Pieux Mauricie

Engineers:
- Jérôme Chabot (Techno Metal Post)
- Stéphane Lavergne (Les Consultants SM inc.)

Project Description

The project consists of rebuilding three parallel stairways that connect Lévis and Amherst streets in the city of Trois-Rivières. The water-soaked wooden steps and the advanced deterioration of the concrete foundations resulted in worries by the population about the safety of the installation which is built on a 45 degree slope.

Techno Pieux’s Proposed Solution

In order to solve the problem of installing foundations on a sloping terrain, the immediate proposal called for the use of helical piers. This solution allows for reduced cost and execution time. The engineers recommended using polyethylene sleeve and hot galvanized piers with support plates capable of supporting a compressive load of 40kN. With the help of their R2D equipment, the Techno Pieux Mauricie team installed the 78 piers required for the 3 stairways in just 3 work days.

The 2.7 meter long (9 foot) P4 piers (100 mm. diameter) were firmly anchored into the soil at a depth of some 2.4 meters (8 feet) thereby giving adequate support for the load exerted by the galvanized steel structure with stone steps as well as for the weight of people using the stairs.

Thanks to the combination of helical piers below the freezing line and the exclusive green Techno Metal Post sleeve, the city of Trois-Rivières now has a set of stairs that will remain intact for many years.