When people think of blasting they picture an uncontrolled explosion — someone lighting a fuse and rock flying everywhere. This is certainly not the case. Through the years R.W. Tomlinson has completed thousands of blasts within our quarries and for construction projects. The one thing blasting is not, is uncontrolled.

Each blast, whether it takes place in one of our quarries or on a construction project, is carefully designed by professionals. Each blast is designed to be safe and controlled. Each blast is designed to prevent fly-rock and limit vibrations. We do this to ensure the safety of all surrounding structures.

On Sunday July 19, 2008, R.W. Tomlinson showed exactly how safe and controlled our blasting techniques are. With a crowd of onlookers, local media videotaping from all angles, and 19,000 people watching on their computers, the lower south side stands at Frank Clair Stadium came tumbling down. Through a carefully designed implosion Tomlinson safely imploded the lower stands, which stood mere feet away from the upper stands.

Former Ottawa Renegade, Val St. Germain, was on-site to witness the implosion. He commented, “It was just amazing to see how precise it was and how quickly it went down.”
Most people think that this was the start and end of the project. However, what people don’t realize is that prior to the actual event a Tomlinson crew had been working for six weeks, so that the actual event would be safe and controlled. A lot of materials needed to be removed from the stands and lower area prior to the implosion.

Chris Kollar noted, “With all that was going on Site Foreman Wayne Villeneuve did a bang up job coordinating the day-to-day activities on-site”.

After the implosion there was 4,500 tonnes of concrete and steel lying on the ground. A blast at a massive structure like this means lots of material has to be removed. This is where expertise from other areas of the company comes into play. Approximately 99-percent of the material that was in the lower south side stands has been, or will be, recycled.

Tomlinson has completed many demolitions in the past and has learned how to get rid of construction and demolition materials in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. For example, the concrete will be crushed and re-used in aggregates for road building. All the steel will be recycled. Tomlinson even has facilities in place to recycle the wood that came from the structure.

This demolition project was an excellent example of how R.W. Tomlinson draws from all aspects of our business to work together, and successfully complete projects with environmental stewardship and safety in mind.