PROJECT

BC Hydro – Site C Dam

Road & Drainage Infrastructure Maintenance

Project Details

CLIENT

BC Hydro 

PRIME CONTRACTOR

Halfway River Frost LP

LOCATION

Site C – Fort St. John, BC 

CONTRACT

Site C – Dam Site Road & Drainage Infrastructure 

DURATION

2024 – 2025 

Key Project Highlights

57,500 FT²

4-inch Geocell

2,890 M²

60 mil HDPE Liner

5,800 M²

Nonwoven geotextile

330 M

Peace River Construction Bridge

Project Overview

Halfway River Frost LP delivered comprehensive road, drainage, water management, bridge, and infrastructure maintenance services across BC Hydro’s Site C Dam Site near Fort St. John, British Columbia. 

The project required year-round coordination of personnel, equipment, subcontractors, traffic, environmental requirements, and changing site conditions within an active major construction environment. In addition to the core road and drainage maintenance program, the contract expanded to include major civil works, bridge inspection and repairs, winter maintenance, aggregate hauling, environmental mitigation, and the Upper River Road ARD/ML mitigation program.

The contract included a broad range of civil construction and infrastructure maintenance activities, including: 

  • Gravel road inspections, maintenance, grading, and reshaping 
  • Major roadway maintenance and repairs 
  • Drainage system inspection, cleaning, maintenance, and repairs 
  • Culvert, ditch, pipe, manhole, and catch basin maintenance 
  • Dust control and base stabilization 
  • Paved roadway and signage maintenance 
  • Winter road and infrastructure maintenance 
  • Water infrastructure maintenance and water transport 
  • Peace River Construction Bridge inspection, maintenance, and repairs 
  • Bridge railing cleaning and scour-protection activities 
  • Upper River Road ARD/ML mitigation 
  • Central Area A aggregate hauling 
  • SBIAR ditch tie-in 
  • Amphibian exclusion fencing 
  • Environmental management, monitoring, and project closeout 

A major additional component of the contract involved the Upper River Road ARD/ML mitigation works. 

Halfway River Frost LP managed and coordinated the delivery of an engineered geosynthetic system designed to support stabilization and environmental mitigation requirements. The work incorporated 60 mil HDPE geomembrane, nonwoven geotextile, cellular confinement systems, tendons, anchors, and drainage components. 

Installation activities were supported by documented quality-control procedures including panel placement tracking, welder qualification, destructive testing, air-channel pressure testing, repair documentation, and final turnover packages. 

The completed scope included: 

  • 57,500 ft² of 4-inch geocell 
  • 2,890 m² of 60 mil HDPE liner 
  • 5,800 m² of nonwoven geotextile 
  • Associated tendons, anchors, and drainage components 
  • Quality-control testing and final project turnover documentation 

Halfway River Frost LP maintained critical road, drainage, and water-management infrastructure throughout the Site C Dam Site, supporting the safe and continuous movement of personnel, equipment, and materials across the project. 

Work included routine inspections and patrols, gravel road grading and reshaping, major roadway repairs, dust control and base stabilization, paved surface and signage maintenance, and the inspection, cleaning, repair, and replacement of ditches, culverts, pipes, manholes, catch basins, and other drainage features. 

Frost also managed water movement across the Dam Site using water trucks, pumps, hoses, and associated infrastructure to maintain capacity within collection areas and convey water to designated treatment or discharge locations as site and weather conditions changed. 

The contract included inspection, maintenance, and repair activities on the Peace River Construction Bridge, a 330-metre crossing supported by 17 piers and connecting the north and south banks of the Site C construction site. 

Frost’s scope included bridge inspection support, deck and structural condition assessments, railing cleaning, repairs, traffic management, and scour-protection activities required to maintain safe and reliable access across the structure. 

The project required year-round infrastructure maintenance through demanding Northern British Columbia conditions. Winter operations included snow and slush removal, traction control, ice blading, roadside snow management, and additional maintenance around the Powerhouse, Dam Crest, and Intakes.

As project requirements evolved, Halfway River Frost LP delivered several additional scopes under the contract, including: 

  • Major roadway repairs 
  • Central Area A aggregate haul 
  • SBIAR ditch tie-in 
  • Amphibian exclusion fencing 
  • Environmental mitigation and reclamation-related activities 

The ability to respond to additional work while maintaining ongoing road, drainage, water-management, and winter-maintenance responsibilities demonstrated the flexibility and depth of Frost’s field and project-management teams. 

As Prime Contractor, Halfway River Frost LP’s responsibilities included coordinating safety and environmental management, quality control, workforce and Indigenous participation reporting, inspection and maintenance records, construction documentation, as-built information, environmental closeout, and formal project turnover. 

The project demonstrates Frost Group’s ability to combine year-round infrastructure maintenance with specialized civil construction and environmental mitigation, while responding to evolving client requirements within an active major-project environment.