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Article: Bridging the way to Alberta's: CN's repurchased Athabasca Northern required extensive bridge and track work to handle traffic increases in Alberta's burgeoning oil sands region.(oil sands)
- Article from:
- Railway Track and Structures
- Article date:
- September 1, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In 1788, Alexander MacKenzie documented a large source of "bitumen" in the sands of the Athabasca River Valley, north of Edmonton, Alberta. Little did he know that this discovery would one day become the world's largest mining endeavor, with the possibility of helping to reduce North America's reliance on Middle Eastern oil. With proven reserves second only to Saudi Arabia, the oil sands projects of Northern Alberta have taken on a global importance.
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Fort McMurray is the epicenter for the phenomenal growth targeting the 54,000 square miles that encompass this vast resource. The demands on the transportation infrastructure are ...