The Mamquam Road sewer upgrades have been delayed until 2022 as a result of unsuccessful drilling attempts under Highway 99. However, there will be some lane openings in the near future.
The Mamquam East-Highway 99 intersection lane closures — as well as the southbound Highway 99 left turn — are anticipated to re-open Tuesday, October 19, weather permitting.
The Mamquam West-Highway 99 lane closures — and Northbound Highway 99 left turn — are expected to re-open at the end of the October following a new Fortis gas line installation.
In a news release, the District said the project will require an open-trench excavation across the highway in order to install the new sewer pipe.
“Despite best efforts in planning and execution, we have encountered a blockage while drilling under Highway 99 that requires us to move to a contingency plan,” explains municipal capital projects manager Jesse Morwood, in a news release.
“We are working with [the] Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to seek their input and support on next steps for the workaround Highway 99, based on the traffic and project management plans we are putting forward to them.”Work began on the sewer upgrades around late June and was originally expected to be completed this fall.
CAO Linda Glenday apologized for the extended disruption.
“This is a highly technical project that has presented many challenges due to the complexity of activities and the depth of the sewer pipe, and this is certainly not the scenario we had hoped for,” said Glenday in the release. “There are always risks associated with projects such as this, and unfortunately some of those risks have been realized. We appreciate the continued patience of the neighbourhood residents most impacted by this project, and staff and contractors are working diligently to finish the project as quickly as possible.”The Mamquam Road project is budgeted at $2.3M and is part of a $43.4M capital plan being actioned in 2021.
The municipality is still working to determine how much this technical issue will cost.***Updated Oct. 18 with additional information on reopening dates and the project delay.
