The City of Calgary has confirmed the second stage of replacing the ailing Bearspaw feeder main will result in significant impacts for residents in Bowness, with plans to dig a large trench through the neighbourhood.
In an update released Friday morning, city officials confirmed crews will use an “open-cut” method for the project’s second stage, which runs from 73 Street N.W. to 87 Street N.W.
According to the city, crews will be excavating a trench along 34 Avenue N.W. and installing the new pipe directly into the open trench, which will be followed by backfilling and surface restoration once work is complete.
The existing feeder main is located just one block away along 33 Avenue N.W.
The open-cut construction will be sequenced in large sections along the alignment, according to city officials, with “one or two” sections completed at a time.
“Open-cut construction will result in significant impacts for residents in the area, including traffic disruptions, noise, street parking impacts, dust and changes to local access,” the city said in a news release. “Plans are rapidly evolving, and teams are currently assessing the full scope of impacts.”
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According to the city, the roadway will be reopened after each section of construction is complete and crews move to the next area.
The city said the approach helps “reduce the duration of localized impacts.”
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Construction is expected to last five months, with shovels scheduled to go in the ground in May. Estimates show pipe construction should be completed by October.
“Over the coming weeks and months, the city will work closely with the community to provide greater detail of construction activities, address unique needs of individual residents and support mitigation efforts where practical,” the city said in its release.
Construction on the first phase of the project is already underway, which will see microtunnelling used to install a new steel pipe between the Shaganappi Pump Station and 73 Street N.W. on the west side of the Bow River.
According to the city, microtunnelling was chosen for the first stage due to the alignment having “significant crossings” at 16 Avenue, the Bow River, Sarcee Trail and the CPKC rail line.
Ward 1 Coun. Kim Tyers, who represents the Bowness area, said there was “deep hope” microtunnelling could be used to limit surface impacts on the project’s second phase but it wouldhave impacted the project’s timeline.
“It is going to be the most disruptive, but it’s also going to be the quickest in order to meet those deadlines,” she said in an interview with Global News.
Earlier this year, city officials announced it was expediting the project to replace the Bearspaw feeder main after two critical ruptures in less than two years.
The project is now scheduled to be completed in December, after the original timeline had its completion date sometime in 2028.
City officials cancelled the competitive bid process for the project and instead awarded a sole-source contract to Ward & Burke Microtunnelling Ltd. and Graham Construction to fast-track the work.
According to Tyers, the City of Calgary is opening a storefront in Bowness at the end of February for residents to get information on the project and to voice concerns about impacts as work progresses.
Tyers said she is grateful for the patience from local residents, who also saw months of construction along 33 Avenue N.W. for repairs following the feeder main’s original break in 2024.
“They have been through so much,” she said. “It’s going to be a lot to ask of Bowness residents but I just really appreciate their co-operation and their patience during this. Hopefully afterwards, they never have to worry about this ever again.”
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