The Midtown Water Supply Project is an important multi-year / multi-phase major water infrastructure upgrade project that will serve the community for generations and will provide resiliency in the City's core water supply network.
Key Dates
July 2023
Beban Park and Labieux Road, construction will impact traffic patterns.
End of June-July 2023
East Wellington construction between the Parkway overpass to Bowen Road including Madsen Road from Griffiths to East Wellington will impact traffic patterns.
May-June 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.