Subsoiling to Mitigate Compaction on the North Bay Shortcut Project

In 1982, TransCanada Pipelines Limited constructed a 426 km, 914 mm diameter natural gas pipeline in new right-of-way between North Bay and Morrisburg, Ontario. The pipe installation was complete by December 1982, but clean-up of approximately two-thirds of the route was postponed until the spring of 1983. During construction, compaction of subsoil along the working side of the right-of-way was recognized as a serious concern and subsoiling was recommended as a mitigative measure. This paper explains how the extent of the compaction problem was determined, describes the type of tillage equipment used and evaluates the degree of success achieved.