Trent-Severn Waterways Program

A national historic site since 1844.

The Government of Canada is investing approximately $1 billion to upgrade Canadian infrastructure, with a significant portion allotted to the restoration and preservation of the Trent-Severn Waterway. The goal is to improve accessibility, ensure overall safety, and perform extensive restorations to address the waterway’s older features while preserving the integrity of the original infrastructure.

The restoration of the Trent-Severn Waterway faces a unique set of challenges due to its heritage status and environmental and seasonal concerns. The government wants to retain the integrity of the heritage status, which introduces limitations to the restoration work as well as material selection. As an added challenge, construction activities are restricted from May to October due to contamination, fish spawning periods, and intense flooding.

For this large body of work, our team worked to support the Public Services and Procurement Canada team throughout the course of the restoration. The heritage status of the waterway provided our team with the unique opportunity to modernize the waterway’s infrastructure without disrupting the historic features. Additionally, our extensive knowledge of environmental complexities and our experience with scheduling delays meant we could ensure the schedule was uninterrupted and that the project’s standards of quality were met. As a result, the Trent-Severn Waterway restorations are underway.