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Midtown Water Supply Upgrades

This project is now substantially complete, water is flowing in all the new watermains and supplying the City. Work continues in 2025 with surface restoration and improvements along varies sections of the projects alignment. There will be upcoming work Bowen Road between Meredith and East Wellington Road April 21-30, 2025.

The Midtown Water Supply Project constructed two large water pipelines to replace the aging and undersized watermains that delivered potable drinking water to the central and northern areas of Nanaimo. This project enhanced the water supply network and built resiliency within the core of the city.

The new primary transmission watermain delivers potable treated water from a connection point at College Drive near the Nanaimo Parkway to the Labieux Road water station.

The new secondary transmission watermain provides redundancy and delivers potable treated water along Bowen Road from a connection point at Pryde Avenue to East Wellington Road, along East Wellington to the Nanaimo Parkway, then the watermain has the same alignment as the new Primary watermain to the Labieux Road water station.

The project constructed a dedicated supply main for the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital that is connected to the new secondary transmission watermain at Bowen Road and East Wellington Road.

Current Traffic Advisories

Check out the "Will Your Commute Be Affected" section of our weekly e-newsletter My Nanaimo This Week  for regular updates on expected impacts to roads and trails.

During restoration works the construction will create visual distractions and minor delays for commuters within the city and on the Parkway. Drivers, pay close attention to signage and the construction traffic persons. 

Thank you for your patience, Nanaimo.

Latest Update 

Upcoming Bowen Road Closures: 

Construction on Bowen Road will disrupt southbound traffic between Meredith Road and East Wellington Road in April 2025. The largest traffic impacts will occur between Monday April 21 - Thursday April 24 with detours for southbound traffic during construction.  Please check in with RDN Transit for bus route updates. Below are the travel advisories for this work.


This construction will improve the water system removing connections and piping that are not needed and removing the potential risk for future issues in this area of the City's water system.

Trail Closures: 

The following trailways will have occasional construction activity due for project restoration: between Labieux Road roundabout and the E&N Trail, between Third Street, VIU and the Black Diamond neighbourhood, between Northfield Road and Griffiths Road alongside the Parkway.

Project Progress

Bowen Road Progress - Complete

The work along Bowen Road was completed in steps using a couple different construction methods to complete the installation of the new Secondary water supply main and complete the installation of the new water supply service for Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. 

The existing supply watermain along Bowen Road was turned off, drained and sections will be used as a host pipe during the construction along Bowen Road to complete the new secondary supply main and new hospital supply main. The Sliplining for the new secondary water supply main occurred on August 21.

From August 26 publication of My Nanaimo This Week:


Overall Progress - Latest Update 

Project Overview

The project will be completed in two phases over the next few years. Currently, phases one and two are underway.

Phase 1 

Phase one (purple circle) will build a new secondary transmission watermain that will deliver potable treated water from the Pryde Avenue pump station to the Labieux Road pump station. The northern half of the new primary water supply main will also be built in this phase of the project.

Upgrades of the City’s distribution watermains and pressure reducing stations will also be constructed in the East Wellington Road / Bowen Road / James Way area of the city.

Phase one is taking place within two City construction projects, the Midtown Water Supply Upgrades Project and the Midtown Gateway Project. The Midtown Gateway Project is transforming a legacy brownfield site impacted by past industrial activity into a revitalized neighbourhood gateway. Learn more about this important project by visiting the project page on the City website

Once in service, the new secondary main will be fed from the College Drive reservoirs, supplying clean drinking water to the distribution zones in the midtown areas of the City network. This will create resiliency for growth and existing demand in these neighbourhoods. The pipe material that broke in 2020 under Bowen Road will no longer be in use as the primary feed to the northern and central neighbourhoods of Nanaimo.

Phase 2 

Phase two (pink rectangle) will complete the construction of the primary water supply main along the east side of the Nanaimo Parkway from East Wellington Road to a connection point south of the College Drive Reservoirs at Fifth Street and College Drive. 

Once in service, the primary main will use the Water Treatment Plant elevation to provide a higher pressure to the Labieux Station reducing the requirement to pump to the northern neighbourhoods of the city. In addition, phase two completion provides the support for a third phase – the installation of a new water supply main and reservoir to support the growth and water needs of the northern neighbourhoods.  

Benefits

  • Increased water supply to the city to accommodate future growth and improved firefighting capabilities.
  • Improved strength and resilience of the water supply system in the mid-town section of the city.
  • Improved water quality to all water consumers.
  • Enhanced operation and ability to efficiently deliver on ever increasing water demands.


Gallery

  • Progress

    The two large diameter water supply transmission mains will deliver potable treated water to serve the community for generations and provide resiliency in the City's core water supply network. The new Secondary water supply main will connect from Labieux Road pump station to Pryde Avenue pump station supplied from the College Heights Reservoirs. The new Primary water supply main will connect from Labieux Road pump station to the south primary transmission main at College Drive/Parkway supplied from the Water Treatment Plant. 

    Key Dates 

    2024

    Construction in various sections of the project continues. Watch for social media posts and sign up for the City's My Nanaimo This Week E-Newsletter for traffic updates.

    August 2024

    August 21 the Bowen Road and East Wellington Road intersection will be closed to through and left turn traffic in all directions to allow the sliplining installation of new secondary water supply main.

    August 6 traffic impacts start on Bowen Road from Meredith Road to Buttertubs Drive, commuters are asked to use a different route during this construction. Tentatively this work will be on going with major traffic disruption for a 12 week duration, extending  to the end of October for this critical work. 

    July 2024

    July 24 A ceremonial valve turning signified another major milestone for the project. The tap is on. The water is flowing in the new primary water supply main.  

    July 17 Labieux Road will be closed in all directions at Beban Park in order to complete the flushing of the primary watermain to prepared it for service. 

    July 16 The project passed a milestone with the new primary main installed and ready to be prepared for use. Flushing is required in all new watermains to rid any dirt and sediment from the construction activity. During flushing, water is released at high velocity to remove sediment to ensure water quality for the new water supply system. This work will be visible along the project from Labieux Road and Kenworth roundabout to College Drive and the Parkway, as well as along the Island Highway between Rock City Road and Northfield Road.  For more information on the flushing please refer to the News Release.

    June 2024

    In June construction impacted Jingle Pot Road at Black Diamond Drive. The project crossed Jingle Pot Road during a full road night closure.

    June 7 construction started on Bowen Road between Dufferin Crescent and East Wellington Road, and continued along  Madsen Road between Bowen Road and Kerrisdale Road June 10. Detours were in place with traffic control persons available to assist with local traffic, pedestrians and cyclists. There will be more work completed in this area.

    May 2024

    May 27 construction started along Crescent View Drive with traffic impacts, construction is from May 27 – June 14. 

    March 2024

    March 13, from 7am-4pm, there will be some traffic disruptions at the intersection of Northfield and Boxwood Roads. The east to northbound left turn lane from Northfield Road to Boxwood Road will be closed, and eastbound patrons wishing to access the businesses at 2300/2310 Northfield Road will need to use their other access point. Once done at Northfield, pavement restoration work will occur in Beban Park near the sports field & playground and then potentially on Labieux Road at Beban Parkway and finishing at the roundabout. 

    March 12, the eastbound right turn lane at the intersection of Northfield Rd and Boxwood Rd will be closed and coned off from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

    February 2024

    Starting  February 26 construction will adjust in the Black Diamond Drive neighbourhood. Black Diamond Drive will be closed in both directions near the Crows Nest Place intersection. 

    February 26, the eastbound right turn lane at the intersection of Northfield Rd and Boxwood Rd will be closed and coned off from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

    February 23, the eastbound right turn lane at the intersection of Northfield Rd and Boxwood Rd will be closed and coned off from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm.

    January 2024

    January 29 - February 3 night work will occur along the Parkway between Exit 18 Jingle Pot Road and Exit 16 Fifth Street / College Drive. The center lanes will be closed in both directions between 7pm - 6am. Expect minor delays, work is expected to be active for three nights however it could be until Saturday February 3 at 6am.

    January 10 Labieux Road from Bowen Road to the roundabout will be closed to traffic 24 hours a day. Local traffic can access 2100, 2080, and 2060 Labieux Road from Dorman Road. 2290, 2270, 2250 Labieux Road can access from Kenworth Road off Bowen Road via the roundabout only.

    January 9  from 7am-7pm there will be traffic disruptions at the intersection of Northfield and Boxwood Road.

    January 8 to 9 Labieux Road from the roundabout to the Beban Sports Fields will be closed to traffic in both directions (24 hours a day) Local traffic can access 2100, 2080, and 2060 Labieux Rd from the roundabout only. All businesses and Beban Park parking lots remain open. 

    Starting January 8 construction begins in the Black Diamond Drive neighbourhood. Black Diamond will remain open to one-way, local and emergency traffic only. Enter off Jingle Pot at Crows Nest Place, exit off Black Diamond Drive at Jingle Pot Road.  

    December 2023

    December 12  East Wellington Road from the Parkway overpass to Bowen Road will have pavement trench restoration, including a full road closure of the bridge between 9:30am-1:30pm. 

    November 2023

    November 14  Madsen Road from Griffiths/Boxwood Road to East Wellington Road will be closed to vehicle traffic. There will be no through access during the construction. hours of 7am -7pm. Work is scheduled until December 1 however the timeline is dependent on the below ground rock quantities found during excavation.

    November 8 East Wellington Road from Westwood Road to Madsen Road including the Parkway overpass) is open to signal lane alternating traffic November 8 during construction hours and the rest of the week will be open in both directions with intermittent traffic disruptions for construction activity.

    November 7 East Wellington Road from Westwood Road to Madsen Road will be closed to vehicle traffic. There will be no through access on the Parkway overpass. These traffic disruptions will be in place during construction hours that are typically from 7am to 7pm. All businesses will remain open and accessible with assistance from traffic control persons. Commuters must choose an alternate route during this time.

    November 1 update for East Wellington, road opens from November 1 to November 7. Crews prepare for the construction work starting Tuesday November 7 that requires the road to be closed again to vehicle traffic in both directions.

    October 2023

    October 27 update for East Wellington, significant progress has been made on the E. Wellington construction, the rock experienced between Madsen and Bowen Roads, the road closure time period is reduced. 

    October 23 East Wellington will be closed with no thru traffic between Westwood Road (along the overpass) and Madsen Road. Vehicle traffic is not possible as the roadway and intersection are too narrow to accommodate both traffic and construction crews. These Road Closures are expected until November 10 2023. (Updated from December 1 2023) Dates are tentative and subject to the progression of the construction work. 

    October 18 East Wellington Road will be closed with no thru traffic between Westwood Road (along the overpass) and Madsen Road. This is for important investigation work prior to construction in this area which will close the road for a longer period of time to install the watermains.

    October 12 pavement trench restoration along East Wellington and at the intersection of Bowen Road will occur.

    September 2023

    Starting September 25 the trail network connecting VIU-Black Diamond-Third Street will be closed for construction. The trail closure is 24 hours a day. Construction hours are 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday. Construction will continue through the winter. 

    Road closure along East Wellington between Madsen and Bowen  for construction continue. Originally scheduled to be complete in October, the East Wellington section of the Midtown Water Supply project has seen challenges and delays due to a significant amount of hard rock below the road surface where the new pipeline will be installed. The timeline for this section of the project has now been extended into December.

    August 2023

    East Wellington Road will be closed in segments between Madsen Road and Bowen Road. Work will occur within the intersection of Bowen Road and East Wellington as well to install the Secondary Water Supply main.  Each segment will have a different traffic pattern change. Construction hours are 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday.  The road closures are 24 hours a day however when able the road will be open outside of construction hours. 

    In August the pipe bridge girder structure was moved into place over the Milestone River.

    July 2023

    July 31 East Wellington Road will be closed from Westwood Road to the eastern side o the Parkway overpass.  No through access will be possible at this time for vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists.  All businesses remain open and accessible.

    The Parkway Trail parking lot off Westwood Road and East Wellington is closed to the public starting July 31 and will remain closed through October 2023.  This area will be a construction laydown zone for the East Wellington Road/Bowen Road/Madsen Road construction.

    June 2023

    Beban Park and Labieux Road, construction will impact traffic patterns. Construction of the Labieux Crossing will close Labieux Road at the Beban entrance starting Monday June 12 to Friday June 30 2023.

    Construction will begin on the bridge that the water supply main will cross the Milestone River within.  The construction may cause a visual distraction to drivers on the Parkway as construction continues from June through November 2023.

    May 2023

    May 23-26 The new Primary and Secondary water supply main installation will cross Northfield Road at Boxwood Road. Work will continue into June for the construction of this section of the project.

    Construction within the Midtown Gateway project limits will impact traffic patterns.

    Ongoing construction occurred in May along Northfield Road to complete the installation of the new Primary and Secondary sections of the HDPE for the project.

    April 2023

    Ongoing construction occurred in April along Northfield Road to install the Primary and Secondary sections of the HDPE pipe.

    Apr. 6, 2023 - Paving will take place on Labieux Road from south of the roundabout at Kenworth Road to the Beban Parkway. Construction work continues at the intersection of Beban Parkway and at the roundabout.

    Apr. 3-5, 2023 - Pipe installation within Beban Park above the sports fields takes place.  Detours will be in place to access all amenities within the park.

    March 2023

    Mar. 26, 2023 – The Nanaimo Parkway (Hwy 19) will be closed each night from March 26-30 between 7 pm to 7 am from the Jingle Pot/Third Street intersection to the College Drive/Fifth Street intersection to install a water supply pipeline crossing. A detour along Wakesiah Avenue will be in place.

    The Midtown Water Supply Project and Midtown Gateway Project team up to install underground infrastructure across Bowen Road and into Beban park.

    Mar. 11, 2023 - Alternating lane closures on Bowen Road from Mar. 11-17 when the water supply mains are installed from Beban Park into the Midtown Gateway construction zone. This closure will be in place again on March 26 and 27 to complete this work. The south entrance to Beban Park will remain closed until March 31.

    Mar. 1 2023 - Installation of the water supply mains within the Midtown Gateway Project will start. The south entrance to Beban Park (closest to Beban House) will be closed from March 1 to approximately March 27, 2023. ALL Access to the park will be available using the Bowen Road north entrance and the Labieux road entrance. During this time access to the golf course, tennis and pickle ball courts, Steve Smith Bike Park, Beban Urban Gardens, Nanaimo Equestrian and VIEX grounds will utilize the reinstated roadway for the Steve Smith Bike Park that was detoured last fall. 

    February 2023

    Feb. 8, 2023 – Installation of the water supply mains along Northfield Road between the Nanaimo Parkway and Boxwood Road begins. Kubota ductile iron pipes will be installed along the roadway shoulder across Northfield Marsh.  During this time there will be some traffic delays to ensure a safe working zone. 

    January 2023

    Jan. 23, 2023 - Trail closures in effect in the area of Black Diamond Drive (past Crow's Nest Place), the trail accessing Vancouver Island University and the walkway at Third Street and Jingle Pot Road.

    Jan. 9, 2023 - Site preparations begin along the Nanaimo Parkway. The first section of work takes place south of East Wellington to Jingle Pot Road, with work between Crow's Nest Place to College Drive following that. 

    Construction continues in parts of Beban Park and along Labieux Road.

    Trench preparations are complete along the section of the Nanaimo Parkway between Northfield Road and East Wellington Road. Excavation and installation of the large diameter water supply mains will begin mid-January. 

    Site preparations for Phase 2 begin Jan. 9 with tree clearing taking place prior to the spring bird-nesting season. The first section of work takes place south of East Wellington to Jingle Pot Road, with work between Crow's Nest Place to College Drive following that. 

    November 2022

    Excavation and installation of large diameter water supply main pipes within the northwest-bound traffic lane on Labieux Road between Beban Parkway and the roundabout near Kenworth Road will begin Nov. 15 and continue to mid-January 2023.

    This area is an active construction site with crews and vehicles coming and going from the area from 7 am to 7 pm. There will be road closures and road diversions in place for the entire length of the work. Local traffic access to the Ministry service buildings 2100 and 2080 Labieux Road will be provided.

    Nov. 15, 2022 - Excavation and installation of large diameter water supply main pipes within the northwest-bound traffic lane on Labieux Road between Beban Parkway and the roundabout near Kenworth Road will begin and continue into mid-January 2023.

    Nov. 14, 2022 - Fusing of the large diameter pipe segments begins along the Parkway between Northfield Road and East Wellington adjacent to Boxwood Road. Building the two large diameter water supply mains above ground prior to installation in early 2023.

    October 2022

    Oct. 3, 2022- Installation of the fused water supply mains begins within Beban Park. The long lengths of water supply mains are placed and backfilled.

    September 2022

    Sept. 15, 2022 - Construction Work Zone expands within Beban Park. Fusing of the large diameter pipe segments begins, building the two large diameter water supply mains, the Primary and Secondary watermains. All facilities remain open with detours in place for access to Stevie Smith Bike Park and Community Gardens.

    Sept. 6, 2022 - Mobilization begins within Beban Park.

    Construction within Beban Park begins.

    August 2022

    Aug. 25, 2022 - Delivery of the pipe for the watermains will start to arrive at Labieux Road.

    Aug. 10, 2022 - Rock Breaking begins on the project along the Nanaimo Parkway, between Northfield Road and East Wellington Road, as well as along Northfield Road between the Nanaimo Parkway and Boxwood Road.

    July 2022

    Jul. 26, 2022 - Clearing and grubbing begins on the project along the Nanaimo Parkway, between Northfield Road and East Wellington Road, as well as along Northfield Road between the Nanaimo Parkway and Boxwood Road.

    Jul. 25, 2022 - Construction begins on Phase 1.

    Phase 1 - Detailed Design is complete. A constructability review was conducted by the Project Team to finalize the design of Phase 1.   Ordering of pipe materials for the Phase 1 of the project began in May with alignment preparations to start in the summer months with anticipation of pipe installation to start in September. 

    Phase 2 - Design progress continues with the Project Team conducting a constructability reviews on the varies aspects of the design and sections of the project alignment.

    April 2022

    Council received a construction Phasing Option Report on the project and new paper articles were published shortly after the April 4 Council Meeting:

    Construction Services Contract awarded to Knappett Industries.

    March 2022

    Site preparations commence.

    Trees will be cleared along the pipeline route prior to the spring bird-nesting season. This work is expected to start on March 3, 2022 and will include sections along the Nanaimo Parkway from East Wellington to Northfield Road and through Beban Park. Please obey all safety warning signage and cordoned off areas during this activity.

    Crews will preserve as many trees as possible and will replant many of them when the project is finished.

    January 2022

    Design continues to develop and has progressed to 50% Detailed Design.

    Publication of a Negotiated Request for Proposals (NRFP) for Construction Services was posted January 5 2022, posting to close in February 2022.

    Council received an Information Report on the project and news articles were published shortly after:

    November 2021

    Design progressed the drawings package to 30% Detailed Design in November. City Staff groups collaborated on potential opportunities to upgrade pressure reducing valve stations in the project area.

    July 2021

    The preliminary design is currently under way for the water supply transmission mains. Geotechnical field investigations are scheduled for August and September. Detailed Design to commence in the fall of 2021. Construction to start in 2022.

    March 2021

    Koers and Associates Engineering Limited was awarded the Engineering Services Contract. The engineering consultants will carry out a preliminary assessment of the proposed pipeline alignment and to prepare a preliminary pipeline design.

    Ground surveys of the proposed pipe alignment for Phase 1 started at the end of March 2021. Phase 2 surveys started in June 2021.

    November 2020

    The City consulted with the Provincial Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure to ascertain the viability of following the Nanaimo Parkway as a proposed pipeline alignment route.

    July 2020

    In the summer and fall months prior to November 2020, City staff researched and then outlined eight possible pipeline alignments and held workshops with operations and management staff in Engineering, Public Works, Construction, Development Control, Real Estate and Parks to review, inform and discuss the merits of each option. Staff were then asked to review the eight possible alignments and assess them on their merits.

    The consensus of opinion was that the alignment following the east side of the Nanaimo Parkway was the most favorable option.

    April 2020

    As discussed in the Background, there was a major pipe failure in  April 2020 on a segment of the City's existing Primary Transmission main that impacted the City's water supply and distribution systems.

    City Staff reprioritized the projects within the City's Capital Plan and began the research and collaborative work to develop the general scope of Midtown Water Supply Project.

  • Documents

     

     

  • Details

    An image of the proposed new Secondary Transmission watermain alignment. (Phase 1 Labieux Road pump station to Pryde Avenue pump station)

    An image of the proposed new Primary Transmission watermain alignment. (Phase 1 and Phase 2 Nanaimo Parkway - East Wellington Road to College Drive)

    Below is an informational graphic that describes the upgrades to the existing water supply.

    Below is an informational graphic supporting the Midtown Water Supply Project.

  • Background
    bowen rd ws pipe break 1

    The City of Nanaimo suffered the first significant failure of a primary water supply pipeline in Bowen Road on April 3, 2020 that resulted in a loss of 22 million litres of water.

    Impacts of this water loss included: three water reservoir tanks being drained, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital also lost water to the top floor and the watermain break left thousands or residents and businesses without water. The cost to repair this watermain break, and clean up the resulting damage, was $250,000.

    Circumstances could have been considerably worse but fortunately there were very few vehicles or pedestrians on the road and a lot of businesses were closed following covid restrictions and a 'stay at home' provincial health order.

    Once excavated and exposed the condition of the pipe revealed other leaks and a complete structural failure of the existing concrete pipe and the consequence of future failures is an extreme risk to the City's potable water supply.

    bowen rd water supply pipe break

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