The B. C. La Workers’ Compensation Board is tracking a collapse on a structure in Coquitlam that left a large hole in its shoring wall on Thursday.
A video posted on social media shows a crack developing in a shoring retaining wall at the excavation site near Foster Avenue and North Road. Soil begins to emerge from holes in the middle of the crack, just above a row of anchor plates.
Within a minute, a large segment gave way to tons of dirt, forming a huge hole. As the soil accumulates at the base of the site, protruding anchors can be noticed.
‘Everyone leave!'” the cameraman shouts, ordering the others to go to the fenced area.
In an emailed statement, developer Amacon said no one was injured during the outage, the cause of which is under investigation lately.
“All of the building’s frames have received the necessary permits and have been reviewed and supervised very thoroughly by geotechnical and engineering consultants,” wrote Vice President of Executive Operations Stepan Vdovine.
“WorkSafe was on site and did not express any explicit consideration about securing the site. In addition, no immediate damage to the infrastructure is seen.
Vdovine said Amacon is working with the City of Coquitlam and other relevant authorities to remediate the site — work that will continue around the clock. The 500-block of Foster Street will remain closed to traffic and pedestrians until safety approvals are obtained, he added.
“We sincerely apologize to local citizens for any inconvenience as we work diligently to protect the site. ”
The City of Coquitlam said Foster Avenue remains closed between North Road and Whiting Way to ensure some protection while painting is done to fix the shoring wall under the supervision of a professional geotechnical engineer.
“Emergency work will continue day and night to ensure the integrity of the surrounding infrastructure,” he said.
“These paintings are expected to last a few days, and we warn the citizens of the community about the noise of the night paintings. “
The city said no injuries or damage to municipal infrastructure were reported.
In its own emailed statement, WorkSafe BC confirmed it’s aware of the failure and is on-site, monitoring the scene.
He didn’t have additional data for percentages as of Thursday afternoon, he said.
The progression of 500 Foster Avenue was intended to be a tower more than 40 stories high, containing sets of between one and four bedrooms.
Sign up to receive newsletters and breaking news email alerts.