CFB Esquimalt Dockyard Building 175

The Opportunity

The Department of National Defence (DND) upgraded the power supply system to the Navy’s dry-dock in order to better service Canada’s submarine fleet. The upgrade included new power and communications duct banks, replacement of a transformer and switchgear, as well as an upgrade to the shore power distribution kiosk.

The Approach

Westbrook Consulting provided the topographic survey, preparation of base drawing, onsite verification of existing services, and the detailed design of horizontal and vertical alignments of the proposed duct routes, as well as the siting of the proposed shore power distribution kiosk.

Challenges included, reconciling the facility’s Record drawings with what was found in the field during the onsite verification exercise, as well as routing the proposed ducting in a section of the dockyard congested with other underground infrastructure. These challenges were overcome by conducting a topographic survey of existing surface features, ground penetrating radar scanning, and a site walkabout to reconcile the findings of the surveys.

The Result

The project is anticipated to be complete in spring 2019.