Case Study: Windley Contracting boosts excavating productivity 50% and slashes costs on Highway 97 expansion with Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System

Windley Contracting Increases Productivity On Highway Expansion Project

Windley Contracting Ltd., a British Columbia civil contractor, was hired to deliver a $40 million, nine‑kilometer (5.6‑mile) four‑lane expansion of Highway 97 between Winfield and Oyama. The complex, mountainous project required blasting through rock, moving roughly two million cubic meters of material, building two overpasses and two tunnel crossings, and delivering major safety and alignment improvements.

Windley deployed the Trimble GCS900 grade control system with GNSS/IBSS on excavators and graders, putting 3D design and automatic blade control in the cab. The technology cut trim work by about 75%, increased excavating productivity by 50%, eliminated 75% of staking (saving over $150,000), removed the need for a full‑time surveyor (about $2,500/week), and paid for itself in roughly one week, while consistently meeting 10–25 mm grading tolerances.

Windley Contracting

Kyle Webb

Civil Division Manager