3120 Frechette Street, St-Jean Baptiste de Rouville | J0L2B0 Quebec, Canada
Tel +1 450 464 9152 | Fax +1 450 464 9154
info@drillpac-na.com
In 1984, Pacchiosi North America - today known as DRILL PAC FOUNDATIONS CANADA Inc. - became the first company to perform Jet-Grouting in Canada, pioneering the technique during the extension of the Ville-Marie highway in Montreal, Quebec.
This was followed by three contracts between 1985 and 1988, involving the stabilization of glacial soils using Jet-Grouting for the construction of the new Southwest Collector Tunnel in Montreal.
In 1987–1988, the company carried out seismic rehabilitation works for British Columbia Hydro at the John Hart Dam Hydroelectric Complex in Campbell River, installing a triple-row of overlapping Jet-Grout columns beneath and alongside the intake structure, which remained fully operational throughout the rehabilitation.
In 1995–1996, for Hydro-Québec, we completed the installation of a deep Jet-Grout cutoff wall for the upstream cofferdam of the Sainte-Marguerite 3 (SM-3) Hydroelectric Complex, in Sept-Îles, Quebec. The Jet-Grouting reached depths of up to 65.2 meters, through alluvial soils with cobbles and boulders. A total of 262 triple-fluid columns, with diameters ranging from 1.8 to 2.5 meters and totaling 6,130 linear meters, were installed.
In 2001–2002, Drill Pac was responsible for constructing the deep Jet-Grout cutoff walls for Dike A154 of the Diavik Diamond Mine, in the Northwest Territories. Over 2,000 triple-fluid Jet-Grout columns were installed, reaching depths of up to 38 meters through fluvioglacial and till formations containing cobbles and boulders.
Between 2013 and 2016, we carried out Jet-Grouting improvements on over 37,000 cubic meters of dense glacial soils for the construction of the Eglinton Crosstown Line in Toronto—making it the largest Jet-Grouting application in Canada to date. Jet-Grouting was performed at 13 station headwalls and 2 tunnel cross-passages. The Jet-Grout blocks installed were also used by the tunnel contractor as safe havens for inspections and TBM cutter head replacements.
The company is continuing this legacy with two major Jet-Grouting contracts currently underway as part of the construction of a new North Ontario Subway Line, in Toronto, Ontario.
In May 2024, DRILL PAC CANADA was awarded a CAD 24.6 million subcontract by Green Infrastructure partners (GIP), for the deep Jet-Grouting stabilization of over 25,000 cubic meters of dense glacial soils as part of the construction of the support of excavation (SOE) for the future Pape Station. For this project, Jet-Grouting is used to stabilize ground at the TBM break-in and break-out zones with shaft and to underpin the existing underground TTC Line 2 tunnel running above the future North Ontario Line tunnel alignment. These preparatory Jet-Grouting works precede tunnel and station construction, which will be executed under a separate contract. Jet-Grouting for this project is scheduled for completion in April 2026.
In August 2024, as a subcontractor to KO Constructors—a joint venture between Kenaidan and Obayashi, DRILL PAC CANADA secured a CAD 17.3 million jet grouting subcontract for the Lower Don Enabling Works Package 3 (LDEW3) project. The LDEW3 project consists in the construction of a tunnel and portal structure that will enable a transition from underground to surface level along a different transit corridor of the North Ontario Line. For this project, Drill Pac is responsible for the construction of a 6m-thick Jet -Grout bottom plug at the bottom of the support-of-excavation (SOE) for the U-wall portal structure. A total of 14,300 cubic meters of fill and alluvial soil will be improved by the Jet-Grouting method on this project. Jet-Grouting for this project is scheduled for completion in October 2025.