The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has released the latest update on their Centerm Expansion Project.
Infilling is continuing this month at the northeast dyke and west end dykes 24 hours, six days a week (Monday to Saturday, with Sunday being the off-day), reported the port.
“ Once the western dykes are built, we will infill behind the west dykes to create new land on the southwest side of the terminal. On the northwest side of the terminal, we will begin densifying the seabed in that area in preparation for the caissons ,” the port said in the release.
Densification is a process that compacts the soil to make it stronger. On the Centerm Expansion Project, this process is taking place in the seabed below the new perimeter dykes.
According to the port, the process involves a crane and a material barge. Rock is deposited in the seabed through a tube, creating a column of rock in the seabed.
This will be repeated over 500 times to densify the area so that it can hold the weight of caissons.