Metro Vancouver begins work on $495M water supply tunnel

The new Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel will replace a water main that was built in the 1930s.

Key Takeaways:

  • The $495-million Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel project will replace a 1930s-era water main nearing the end of its service life, ensuring the continued provision of high-quality drinking water for Metro Vancouver. The upgrade is also designed to enhance earthquake resilience and support future population growth.
  • A 1.4-kilometer-long tunnel will be constructed deep under Stanley Park, along with three vertical shafts at key locations (Burrard Inlet, a central service yard, and Chilco Street). Measures will be taken to minimize disruption, such as installing temporary pedestrian and cyclist paths and restoring construction sites to equal or better condition.
  • Construction is set to begin this month and is expected to continue through 2029.

The Whole Story:

Metro Vancouver will begin construction this month on the $495-million Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel, a major project that will replace an aging piece of infrastructure and help maintain the regional district’s ability to reliably provide high-quality drinking water.

“The new Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel will replace a water main that was built in the 1930s and is nearing the end of its service life, so it’s extremely important that we make this upgrade,” said Mike Hurley, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Board of Directors. “This work is also part of Metro Vancouver’s push to ensure our drinking water infrastructure can better withstand strong earthquakes and accommodate future population growth.”

A new 1.4-kilometre-long water supply tunnel will be constructed deep under Stanley Park to replace a water main that was built in the 1930s. Two new valve chambers will control the flow of water through mains in the area.

To excavate the tunnel, install the water main, and build the valve chambers, three vertical shafts will be constructed in Stanley Park — one near Burrard Inlet, one in the middle of the park in a service yard, and one at Chilco Street.

Officials say the shaft locations, along with the tunnel alignment and construction process, were selected based on rigorous geotechnical, environmental, archaeological, technological, and traffic studies. Construction areas at all three shaft sites will be restored to equal or better condition.

The first six months of construction will see the three main sites fenced and cleared, and site offices will be built. At the centre shaft site, an abandoned building will be demolished and the yard entrance moved. At the Chilco shaft site, temporary pedestrian and cyclist paths will be installed to ensure park users can continue to use the area during construction, and a new accessible ramp will provide uninterrupted access to the community garden.

“The Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel is critical to our drinking water system. We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as construction gets underway,” said Malcolm Brodie, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Water Committee. “We are taking great care to reduce the impacts that this work will have on neighbours and park visitors.”

Construction on the Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel is expected to last through 2029.

Share

Get smarter on the 🇨🇦 construction industry in just 5 minutes

Sign up for the free weekly newsletter for news, trends and insights in the Canadian construction industry.

Construction job board

Discover senior-level construction jobs at leading companies in Canada.

Find a jobPost a job

Topics

Newsletter

Get the 5-minute, weekly newsletter about the Canadian construction industry.

© SiteNews 2024. All rights reserved. SiteNews is an independently-operated news website. Views expressed are that of the editor's and are based on publicly available information unless otherwise noted through sponsored content.