first stage of bearspaw south feeder main replacement halfway through
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city officials say the first stage of construction to replace the bearspaw south feeder main is halfway complete and the second stage began in may.
the city shared an update on monday stating that stage a construction is 51 per cent complete.
construction crews are using a method called two-pass microtunnelling, wherein the tunnel is first lined with a concrete carrier pipe, before installing a new main steel pipe. installation of the carrier pipe is 55 per cent complete, according to the update.
the update said work on additional microtunnelling shafts at 16th avenue n.w. and 44th street n.w., 16th avenue n.w. and home road, and near sarcee trail n.w. and 29th avenue n.w. remains on schedule.
michael thompson, general manager for infrastructure services, told reporters on monday that crews have broken down microtunnelling into five segments, extending from shaganappi pump station to sarcee trail.
two segments are complete, he added, with two others halfway done. as of monday, the last segment is beginning construction, tunnelling from shouldice park in northwest calgary going south.
“both stage a and b of the project remain on track to have the new feeder main operational by the end of 2026,” darren finney, manager of major projects, said in a news release. “our teams and our contractors continue to optimize logistics and advance construction to support safety, schedule and quality every step of the way while delivering this critical project for calgarians.”
a portion of the bearspaw south feeder main construction site is shown in calgary on monday, june 15, 2026. the city of calgary announced that the first stage of repairs is now complete.
jim wells/postmedia
stage b construction began last month. crews have completed preliminary work at 77th street n.w. and 83rd street n.w., between 33rd and 34th avenues n.w., connecting the new feeder main to the existing water system. the affected roads have been repaved and reopened.
construction is set to begin this week on two sections of 34th avenue n.w., between 79th and 80th streets n.w. and between 85th and 86th streets n.w., as work continues on the new feeder main. the project will proceed one block at a time, allowing completed sections of roadway to be restored and reopened as construction advances.
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steel pipe is expected to begin arriving in calgary within one week and will be installed quickly in open-cut trenches. additional pipe will continue to arrive over the coming weeks, with crews installing it as it arrives for both stage a and stage b of the project.
the current pipe, thompson reiterated, is “terminally ill,” which means the city is still at risk of having to operate with water restrictions should it break again.
“there is a risk all the time that that existing feeder main can break . . . until the new pipe is installed and operational,” he said. “if it does break, we will have to go into water restrictions, regardless of what time of year it is. so, we’re asking all of our partners to be prepared should it break again anytime from now until this new pipe’s operational.”
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