1. Large-panel ARES wall system
provides stability and aesthetics
for key Calgary roadway.
Southeast Stoney Trail was Alberta’s largest P3
highway project at the time of construction.
It forms a key part of Calgary’s ring road, and
required many Mechanically Stabilized Earth
(MSE) walls with a custom architectural finish.
Challenge
High traffic demand, winter construction
conditions and the chemical impacts from
de-icing salts are all challenges common to ring
road projects in Alberta; Stoney Trail was no
exception to that generalization. The need for 27
bridge structures, nine interchanges and three
flyovers within the 25 kilometers of its six-lane
southeast section made it especially challenging
to deliver on time and on budget.
Due to the corrosive nature of de-icing salts,
most MSE walls require geomembrane protection
trenches along the steel-reinforcements for each
wall. The design life for MSE wall components is
100 years, and they must work with a reinforced
mass that meets load and resistance standards.
Solution
Nilex recommended an innovative large-scale
3m x 3m ARES Modular Panel Retaining
Wall System because of its affordability,
simplicity, speed of construction and ability
to accommodate a wide range of finishes. The
systems’s HDPE geogrid eliminates salt concerns.
LOCATION:
Calgary, Alberta
PRODUCT:
ARES® and SierraScape®
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Owner
Alberta Transportation
Consultant
Golder Associates, LVM/DESSAU, McIntosh
Lalani Engineering, and MMM Geomatics
Contractor
Chinook Infrastructure and Chinook Roads
Partnership
Completion Date
September 2012
Southeast
Stoney Trail
PROJECT PROFILE
MSE WALLS
& SLOPES

2. Twenty-two pre-cast concrete ARES walls (with
architectural finish) were used in 12 structures,
for a project total of over 12,000 m2
. These large
panels are a unique benefit of Nilex’s partnership
with Lockwood Brothers Concrete Products and
Tensar International.
One small section of SierraScape Wire-Formed
Retaining Wall System was used for the structure
that redirected traffic along 52nd
Street, which
intersects Stoney Trail north-to-south.
Installation
The Nilex MSE team provided local engineering
and on-site support, including quick turnarounds
when required, due to local office access.
Crews easily installed the lightweight geogrid
soil reinforcement elements by hand, a distinct
advantage of Ares walls over systems that require
cranes for this step. Nilex’s design expertise
helped tackle coverage ratio issues where the
geogrid interacted with bridge piles, ensuring
there was full-width panel anchoring. The
HDPE tie-back anchors of the ARES system can
accomodate a much wider range of aggressive
soil pH (2-12) compared to steel systems.
Results
Nilex provided design, panel fabrication and site
support to deliver a superior MSE wall solution
that was responsive to all structural criteria and
more economical than a steel-reinforced system.
Local expertise and inventory of geosynthetics
provided key advantages that helped ensure
the project was completed on schedule. It made
ReNew Canada’s Top 100 Infrastructure Projects
list in 2011.
The Nilex Advantage
Nilex is committed to unearthing better results.
Whether it’s for a civil, resource or environmental
project, we offer the latest engineered and
technically-superior materials and techniques to
save our customers time and money, minimize the
need to move or remove earth, and reduce the
need for granular materials.
With over 35 years of experience, a long-standing
commitment to the environment and highly
qualified staff, Nilex delivers the products and
technologies that give clients an economic
advantage with environmental benefit.
Southeast Stoney Trail
Rev. 04/2016
nilex.com