Case Study - Challenges faced in Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure (PLFPEI) Toronto Project

ABSTRACT: This paper focuses on the installation of a full depth secant pile wall around the perimeter of the area of Work in Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure (PLFPEI) project immediately east of downtown Toronto. The wall consisting of both structural and non-structural components is designed to serve as groundwater cut-off and facilitate excavation and construction of a naturalized river channel to protect against flooding. Several challenges were faced during construction such as the high water infiltration rate from Lake Ontario leading to concrete placement through the tremie method, the strict verticality requirement for the deep piles resulting from the highly varying bedrock levels, drilling obstructions and void propagation. The complexity of this project from conception to implementation necessitated the employment of numerous measures and techniques required for adequate construction as highlighted in this paper.