Parliament Hill Land Reclamation

Excavation Services

Enhancing The Seat of Government

Our Taggart Construction team was proud to be brought in by PCL Constructor of Canada on behalf of Public Services and Procurement Canada to excavate the foundation for a new Visitor Welcome Centre on Parliament Hill's West Block. The Centre is a modern four-level underground complex constructed to improve visitor experience and enhance security to the iconic Parliament Buildings. While heritage sites always demand meticulous planning and precision, Parliament Hill's West Block clifftop location and close proximity to the fully occupied Centre Block heritage site brought added complexity when working with the removal of solid rock.

Keeping Disruption To A Minimum

Working with our partners, we excavated and removed 5,000 tonnes of contaminated soil, 33,000 cubic metres of rock and 8,000 cubic metres of earth between Parliament's Centre Block and West Block, down to a depth of 21 metres. We used underground tunnels to reduce noise and vibration and protect the site's heritage structures, dug a large attenuation trench, and deployed shoring systems to protect Crown assets.

Once the excavation was complete, we restored the site with 18,000 tonnes of clean granular backfill and rock anchors. Our team remained flexible throughout the project as its scope expanded to accommodate design refinements.

A Trusted Partner

Every member of our team working on the Parliament Hill project and all our subcontractors abided by the extensive security measures in place to protect Canada's seat of government. That included personnel security checks, vehicle access control and the use of pass cards and turnstiles. With timelines tight, we ensured we had fully cleared backup workers at the ready when required.

Project Highlights

• Ottawa River storm outlet protection
• Contaminated soil removal and land remediation
• Heritage protection
• ~$10 million in economic activity
• Progress toward a new Visitor Welcome Centre for tourism