The Annacis Water Supply Tunnel Project in British Columbia will ensure that more than 2.7 million residents have access to clean drinking water

Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental services, has recently completed the dismantling of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) used for the construction of the new Annacis Water Supply Tunnel in New Westminster, British Columbia, on behalf of its client Traylor Aecon. This tunnel boring machine had been used to construct a tunnel approximately 2.3 kilometres long between Surrey and New Westminster.

These tasks are part of a project to build critical infrastructure for the cities of New Westminster and Surrey to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to their more than 2.7 million inhabitants, thus guaranteeing the reliability of the pipelines and significantly increasing their water transport capacity. The new pipeline has been built under the river, including valve chambers and surface pipelines, and will be one of five new water supply tunnel crossings in the region, built to ensure water supply in the event of an earthquake or natural disaster.

For this job, which involved dismantling the tunnel boring machine's cutting head, weighing approximately 250,000 lbs within a radius of around 25 feet, Sarens' engineering team carried out a thorough preliminary study to determine the crane line length, capacity calculations and engineered lift points on the TBM. An LTM 1400 crane (main boom only) was chosen due to its high load-lifting capacity and ease of manoeuvring in very confined spaces, especially in an environment such as this project with traffic very close by.

This is not Sarens' first involvement in this project of major importance for the region, as it has been involved since its inception in 2022. At the end of 2024, Sarens lifted various concrete parts as well as the man basket for the tunnel boring machine, with a total weight of 40,000 lbs. Sarens is expected to continue contributing to the development of this project until its completion, scheduled for 2027.

According to Brett Allen, Project Manager at Sarens, "a project of this magnitude and social importance always presents significant challenges. In this case, the limited space for maneuvering and the close proximity of road traffic meant that all our tasks had to be carried out with great precision so as not to cause delays or damage to the surrounding area, but thanks to our experience and the high level of training of our staff, everything was carried out without incident. We would like to thank Traylor Aecon for the trust they have placed in us since the start of this project in 2022, and we look forward to continuing to work together on the development of new projects of strategic importance to Canadian society."

Sarens has been a key player in the Canadian construction industry for years, thanks to the wide experience of its team, its in-depth knowledge of the sector and its extensive portfolio of cranes and modular transports. Among other key projects, the company has been able to work on the renovation of Union Station, where its engineering team worked on the lifting and subsequent installation of several iron girders, weighing approximately 9.4 tons, for the flying garden that connects the station's north and south towers.

Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.

With more than 100 entities in 66 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 5,000 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/