Projects

Musselwhite Mine Shaft Access

The purpose of this project was to design and install a ventilation access shaft through a sand and gravel esker. The seat of the cofferdam was installed 2.5m into hard rock (Schist). The operations were made increasingly difficult by boulders and high-volume water flow from the surrounding Opapimiskan Lake. A vent access shaft was blasted approximately 800 feet below the cofferdam into solid rock.

Key Project Information

  • Project Type:
    Shoring Walls, Cofferdams, and Cutoff Walls
  • Budget:
    $1.6M
  • Timeline:
    2010
  • Client:
    Sacchetti Construction
  • Location:
    Musselwhite Mine, ON

The vent plenum cofferdam was added to the design due to ground conditions being so unfavourable that excavation for construction was not feasible. Foundation piles were added into the structure’s shear walls to anchor them down. These were added to help with wind loading due to unsuitable ground conditions.