Midtown Water Supply passes milestone, work shifts to East Wellington Road

Project is one year in and on schedule

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed July 26, 2023 10:00 AM

Summary

Next week, work on the Midtown Water Supply project shifts to East Wellington Road. Commuters in the East Wellington area can expect significant closures and detours from July 31 - Oct. 2, including work in the Bowen Road/East Wellington Road intersection. Pedestrian, bicycle and emergency traffic will have access through the construction zone as often as possible. Work on the east side of this construction zone and close to Ecole Quarterway is scheduled to be complete before school resumes in September. On the west side of the project, the Parkway trail will remain open, but the Parkway Trail parking lot will be closed.

During the first week of work on East Wellington Road (July 31 to Aug. 4), businesses will remain open and accessible, but please avoid the area otherwise; through travel won't be possible. Please follow the detour and obey any traffic control persons.

It's been one year since the Midtown Water Supply Project broke ground, and work will quickly be moving from Northfield, Bowen and Labieux Roads to East Wellington Road as it continues on Phase 2 of the project.

These water supply mains are essential for Nanaimo and will carry clean water to over 50 per cent of the community, including the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. So far 8.5 kms of pipe and smaller backup pipe have been installed. When work is complete in 2024, 13 km of primary and secondary water mains will have been installed.

Nanaimo's infrastructure follows an asset replacement plan. Although the water main break in 2020 under Bowen Road accelerated the Midtown Water Supply project sooner than planned, the new pipes are extremely resilient and a significant upgrade to the concrete pipes from the past.

For more information, visit www.nanaimo.ca/goto/MidtownWater.

Link to Strategic Plan: The Midtown Water Supply project supports Council's commitment to service and quality of life improvements across the City, ensuring a resilient water supply for Nanaimo's future.

Key Points

Work in the East Wellington area will take place from July 31 - Oct. 2, beginning with a significant road closure on East Wellington Road from July 31 - Aug. 4. Businesses will remain open and accessible, but please follow the detour and avoid the area otherwise; through travel will not be possible.
Each part of Nanaimo's infrastructure follows an asset replacement plan. Although the water main break in 2020 under Bowen Road has pushed the Midtown Water Supply project forward sooner than expected, the types of pipe replacing it are extremely resilient and a significant upgrade to the concrete pipes from the past.
The Midtown Water Supply Project has reached the one year mark since its groundbreaking and is on schedule for its 2024 completion. 8.5 of 13 kms of primary and secondary pipe have been installed so far.

Quotes

"Our water system is so good that it's the envy of a lot of communities, but like any form of infrastructure, it's only as good as its weakest link. When the water main running under Bowen Road burst back in 2020, we learned the hard way that these mains needed urgent attention. Thank you for your patience, Nanaimo, as we install the Midtown Water Supply, making our water system more resilient and ready to serve our community for the next century ahead."

Leonard Krog

Mayor

City of Nanaimo

Quick Facts

Total budget for the Midtown Water Supply Project sits at $55.9 million, which also includes pedestrian improvements, water distribution and sanitary and storm sewer upgrades in the project area.

Images

East Wellington Bridge at the Nanaimo Parkway

East Wellington Bridge at the Nanaimo Parkway, the next site for water main installation

Traffic Advisory July 31 to Aug. 4, 2023

Contact:

For media enquiries, please contact

Communications

City of Nanaimo

250-754-4251

Media.Requests@nanaimo.ca

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