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Midtown Gateway Project

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The Midtown Gateway Project is transforming a legacy brownfield site impacted by past industrial activity into a revitalized neighbourhood gateway. It features new complete street transportation corridors, a new naturalized storm water wetland with public walking trails, and enhanced access to our premier recreation complex - Beban Park.

Once fully completed, the Midtown Gateway Project will:

  • Restore a wetland impacted by historical coal mining activity,
  • Create over 2km of new off-street active transportation pathways,
  • Enhance accessibility to Beban Park,
  • Create a public natural area with walking trails, that will also serve as a detention pond during storm events,
  • Unlock a development site for a signature commercial and residential gateway development to the City,
  • Create a new transportation network that will increase the safety and comfort for people who walk, bike, take transit, and drive, and
  • Improve the safe flow of commercial and industrial goods.

 

Project Update:

Construction work on the final phase of the Midtown Gateway Project is nearing completion in the coming months. Currently there are many areas with temporary surface conditions as final asphalt prep work is being completed.  Please give yourself extra time and obey all construction signs, detours and traffic control persons.  Where possible, commuters are asked to choose an alternate route and avoid the area. 

Thank you for your ongoing patience Nanaimo!

CURRENT TRAFFIC ADVISORIES

Here are the latest traffic disruptions to be aware of:

  1. Please watch for a section of temporary road conditions on Northfield Road, just east of Boxwood Road. Drive slow!
  2. There will be single lane alternating traffic on Rosstown Road and Powder Works Road. 
  3. The Boxwood Road access to 2249 Northfield Road (Katies Korner Childcare), and original parking lot is now reopened.  All parents and staff of Katies Korner are asked to the use the Boxwood Road access until further notice. 
  4. A section of the laneway just south of Northfield Road is closed for reconstruction, see map below. 
  5. All businesses remain open and accessible.
  6. All park amenities and programs remain open and accessible

To keep up-to-date on any changes affecting transit service, please visit the Regional District of Nanaimo’s website at www.rdn.bc.ca/transit-service-alerts

For your safety, please watch for temporary surface conditions throughout the project area. Please obey all signs and traffic control persons. Give yourself extra time and expect delays.

Thank you for your patience

Want to Know More?

Check out the recent construction photos gallery, or the additional information under the tabs below.

Or contact us at midtowngateway@nanaimo.ca

Gallery

  • Progress

    Phase 1 (Complete)

    Phase 1 was completed in 2019 and included site cleanup, environmental remediation, initial ground improvements and construction of a new engineered wetland that also serves as a storm water pond. 

    Phase 2A (Complete)

    Phase 2A started construction August of 2022 and was completed in January 2024. Phase 2A included final ground improvements, underground municipal utilities and installation of two large diameter water supply mains.

    One of the first construction activities that was completed during Phase 2A was Rapid Impact Compaction to further compact the soils beneath the future road corridors. Rapid Impact Compaction, or RIC for short, is a specialized soil compaction technique that involves using an excavator fitted with a hydraulic hammer to repeatedly strike an impact plate.  A brief video of this work can be found here.

    The large diameter water supply mains included in this phase connected to the Midtown Water Supply Upgrades Project. Learn more about this project at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/MidtownWater

    Phase 2B (Current)

    Windley Contracting Ltd., working on behalf of the City of Nanaimo, started construction of Phase 2B in March 2024. 

    On January 22, the new signalized intersection on Bowen Road was officially put into service and is now controlling all vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian traffic. The new Beban Parkway (south Beban Park entrance) and Boxwood Road connection is also open to the public.

    These changes enhance access to Beban Park and improve Nanaimo’s transportation network with increased options, safety and comfort for people who walk, bike, take transit or drive, while improving the safe flow of commercial and industrial goods.

    Beban Parkway now provides access to the new Beban Plaza Lane, which will serve as an easier and safer access point to Beban Plaza for drivers arriving from any direction via the new intersection. Exiting the plaza using Beban Plaza Lane will also be safe and easy. Traffic will turn right onto Beban Parkway, drive around the turning circle and can head back to the new intersection or continue to our Beban Park facilities.

    While the new roads and intersection are now open and in use, construction work will continue. Some surface conditions are still incomplete and may be uneven, so please exercise caution, obey all signs placed for your safety, and follow the directions of any flag persons on duty.

    Traffic disruptions, night work and sections of road closures will be ongoing until the project reaches completion, which is expected by Fall 2025.

  • Documents

    Construction Notices

    Click  here for a copy of the Phase 2B construction startup notice that was delivered to the area surrounding the project site in March 2024.

    Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan

    The Boxwood Connector, which is part of the Midtown Gateway project, was identified as a major road improvement project in the 2014 Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan

    Official Community Plan

    The  Official Community Plan identifies the project area as an important corridor and envisions a mix of commercial and residential development. Given the geotechnical and environmental challenges, the site has remained undeveloped leaving a large brownfield property in a prominent gateway location.

     

  • Details

    Below are some infographics for the Midtown Gateway Project.

  • Background

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