Watermain Work on 11th Street Moving Faster Than Expected in New Westminster

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Right now, crews are in the middle of a pretty big underground upgrade. They're removing and replacing older water, storm, and sewer lines to make room for a brand-new 1800mm watermain connected to Metro Vancouver's system. It's one of those projects you don't really see once it's done, but it makes a huge difference in keeping water flowing reliably as the city continues to grow.

The amount of work going on beneath the road is pretty impressive. About 800 meters of new watermain is being installed, along with a mix of service connections for homes and buildings in the area. Crews are also tying the new system into the existing network at multiple points, which is one of the trickier parts of the job. On top of that, they're putting in over 240 meters of new storm and sanitary sewer lines, digging down as deep as four meters in some spots, and installing a number of new manholes to support the system.

Of course, working in a busy part of the city isn't easy. There's been a lot of coordination with nearby apartment buildings, especially when it comes to planned water shutoffs, and crews have had to carefully manage intersections and traffic while getting everything done safely. If you've had to deal with a bit of noise or detours lately, that's part of the process - but it's all moving along efficiently.

Projects like this are part of a bigger effort to upgrade New Westminster's underground infrastructure. A lot of these pipes have been in place for decades, and replacing them now helps avoid bigger problems down the road while also supporting new development in the area. Companies like Sandpiper Contracting LLP are helping carry out this kind of work, keeping things on track and minimizing disruptions where possible.

So while it might just look like another construction zone at street level, there's a lot happening below your feet - and the fact that it's ahead of schedule is a win for everyone in the neighbourhood.

To sum these up, the work entailed:

• 800 meters of various watermain c/w poly bagging
• 8 x 100mm and 150mm services
• 25 x 25mm water services
• 9 major water tie ins
• 243 meters of various sizes of storm and sanitary sewer at a depth of 3 to 4 meters
• 15 precast 1050mm manholes
• 5 overbuild 1050mm manholes
• 5 x 150mm services
• Intersections crossings,
• Major coordination with existing apartment building for water shutdown