What We Do / Support of Excavation / Custom Modular Walers & Struts
Traffic &
Equipment Decking
Modular steel decking that keeps traffic, pedestrians and construction equipment moving above an active excavation, installed in a fraction of the time of site-built decks.
reduction in installation duration
typical deck panel length and weight
steel recycling rate worldwide
no extra decking or asphalt contractors
Cut and cover without shutting down the street
What is a traffic deck?
Four constraints of site-built decking
High on-site labor demand
Limited flexibility
Site constraints
Multiple contractors
A simple-to-assemble modular decking system
~50–60% faster installation
The majority of work is performed off-site, in parallel with other site activities.
Significantly less field welding
Fewer hot-work constraints and less dependence on specialized welders on site.
Replaces wood and asphalt
Deck modules are designed to replace wood and asphalt pavement, with factory-applied slip-resistant coatings.
Trial assembled in the shop
Modular systems can be trial assembled before delivery, ensuring perfect fit-up during site installation.
Reusable across stages and sites
One-and-done solution
Delivered fully shop-assembled
Easy to reconfigure
Quiet operation
Low environmental impact
Low disposal costs
What you need to know
What is a traffic deck made of?
What special coating is used on the traffic decks?
Can you build a traffic deck without closing the road?
Partial excavation
Deck over half the width
Traffic transferred
Second half installed
How big and heavy is each panel?
Broadway Subway Project
Build a traffic deck without closing the road
Traffic moves onto the finished half of the deck while the other half of the road is excavated. When both sides are done, four lanes run on the deck over the construction area. Step through the sequence.
Ontario Line South Project
Design constraints
- No additional loads on the substructure beyond those in the original design.
- The system must not exceed 800 mm depth or it will conflict with permanent structures.
- It must support various utilities in place under the decking.
How the infraMOD system benefits the project
Let’s discuss your next project
let's talk soe
Tell us about your excavation and our engineers will help you find the right traffic and equipment decking solution.
Oxbow | Toronto | Vancouver | Regina | Edmonton | Charleston
Traffic &
Equipment Decking
Cut and cover without shutting down the street
Cut and cover tunneling is usually the most economical construction method, but it can be highly disruptive, especially in urban areas where excavations are beneath streets or close to utilities and businesses. A temporary traffic deck lessens that disruption.
What is a traffic deck?
A traffic deck ensures safe passage over an active excavation, enabling uninterrupted construction in the excavation while maintaining access above for pedestrians, public vehicle traffic and/or construction equipment.
The most common method uses a site-specific structural steel frame with main girders, intermediate girders and a deck surface of steel, concrete, wood or asphalt. Because site conditions are uncertain, much of the work is done on site during installation.
Support of excavation system, with deck modules and traffic barriers installed.
Why traditional decks struggle
C-01
Labor intensive
High on-site labor demand: specialized, highly skilled welders and strict quality control.
C-02
Hard to modify
Difficult to alter once installed to meet the changing needs of a dynamic excavation.
C-03
Site constraints
Weather, space limitations and restricted use of hot work impede welding and fitting, impacting timelines and quality standards.
C-04
Multiple contractors
Structural steel, welding, wood deck installation and asphalt.
A simple-to-assemble modular decking system
~50–60% faster installation
Significantly less field welding
Replaces wood and asphalt
Trial assembled in the shop
Reusable across stages and sites
One-and-done solution
Delivered fully shop-assembled
Easy to reconfigure
Quiet operation
Quiet for workers in the excavation and the public, unlike wood systems that are known to rattle and shake.
Low environmental impact
Low disposal costs
Quick answers
What is a traffic deck made of?
Steel girders spanning an excavation, which support modular panels that form the top layer of the deck.
What special coating is used?
For public traffic applications, each module has a proprietary, factory-applied High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST), designed to maximize traction and significantly reduce the risk of skidding, especially in wet or critical traffic zones.
Can you build a traffic deck without closing the road?
Yes. After one side of the traffic deck is finished, vehicles move onto the finished deck while the other side of the road gets excavated. Once both sides are done, four lanes of traffic move on the deck over the construction area.
Traffic moves onto the finished half of the deck while the other half of the road is excavated. When both sides are done, four lanes run on the deck over the construction area. Step through the sequence.
How big and heavy is each panel?
Although various panel sizes are used, the typical panels are 12 meters long and each panel weighs about 10 tons.
Proven on major transit projects
Broadway Subway Project
A 5.7 km extension of the Millennium Line, providing efficient SkyTrain service to British Columbia’s hotspots. infraMOD was approached by Acciona-Ghella JV to design, supply and deliver a temporary traffic decking system, with SOE at 5 stations, a cut and cover and a TBM between the stations.
infraMOD supplied 7,000 tonnes of fabricated steel and an additional 4,000 tonnes of raw material, sourced through relationships with steel mills at a lower cost than the customer or piling contractors could buy it for.
2026
engineering design hours
Ontario Line South Project
Ontario Transit Group needed decking that lets trucks pass over the excavation to haul muck away. infraMOD reviewed the existing design to remove complexity, with no site welding for installation, removal or reconfiguration of the deck panels.
Constraints: no additional substructure loads, no more than 800 mm depth, and support for utilities in place under the decking.
Let’s discuss your next project
let's talk soe
Tell us about your excavation and our engineers will help you find the right traffic and equipment decking solution.
Oxbow | Toronto | Vancouver | Regina | Edmonton | Charleston