Coquitlam is getting set for some thirsty work.
An approximately 30-month construction project is set to start this summer as Metro Vancouver-contracted crews work on the water main between Robson Street and Guildford Way.
An official start date has not been announced, however, Metro Vancouver wrote in an email that crews are aiming to start working around the second week of July.
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The project is “vitally important” for getting drinking water to Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, and the eastern and southern areas of the region, explained Metro Vancouver media relations officer Niki Reitmayer.
To keep up with the region’s growing population, the 3.2-metre diameter main is needed to: “avoid impacting delivery of water to the southern and eastern areas of the region,” according to a Metro Vancouver staff report.
Traffic on Pipeline Road will sometimes be reduced to single-lane alternating traffic between David Avenue and Robson Drive during construction.
“Crews will work to minimize delays for trucks and other traffic while maintaining safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists,” Reitmayer wrote in an email to the Dispatch.
While crews may need to manage dust and minimize noise, Town Centre Park, including tennis courts, will be open during construction, according to Reitmayer.
The Robson-to-Guildford section of the project is set to be complete by 2026. The entire 12-kilometre project, which stretches from the north end of Pipeline Road to Mariner Way at Riverview Crescent, is set to be finished by 2029.
Most of the main is set to be built in an open trench. However, crews are set to tunnel along Pipeline Road and Westwood Street between Guildford Way and Dewdney Trunk Road for a two-kilometre section of the watermain.
Metro Vancouver awarded an approximately $97.2 million contract to Michels Canada Company for the project.
Engineers previously estimated the pipeline would cost $75 million, however: “pent up demand for infrastructure spending coupled with ongoing supply chain issues” resulted in the higher price, according to Metro Vancouver staff.
Metro Vancouver’s second choice for a contractor was Aecon Infrastructure Management. Aecon had a proposed fee of $116. 3 million.
