Sewer work means Front Street will be closed to through traffic on a number of nights in the coming weeks.
At its Jan. 8 meeting, council approved an exemption to the city’s construction noise bylaw so Metro Vancouver and its contractor Ram Consulting can do some sewer work on Front Street. The variance allows nighttime work to take place from Jan. 15 until Feb. 29, between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays.)
“Extra time has been built into the request to account for the possibility of inclement weather, unforeseen site conditions, and any other scheduling delays that may occur,” said a staff report. “If weather conditions are good, work may be completed sooner.”
According to a report to council, the construction activity is related to maintenance/repairs of “manhole abandonments” from the 300 to 700 blocks of Front Street. It explained that the Front Street sewer brings wastewater from the Sapperton pump station to the McNeely chamber at the intersection of Front and Columbia streets.
“Recent upgrades to the pump station have increased its capacity to accommodate regional growth,” said the report. “The existing maintenance holes along Front Street need to be upgraded to allow the pump station to operate at full capacity. The work cannot be done during the daytime service, as it requires Metro Vancouver’s Sapperton pump station to be turned off.”
The work is weather dependent and cannot be completed in the rain, said the report.
“This project is intentionally timed to coincide with the closure of Front Street for the Pattullo Bridge replacement (PBR) project,” said the report to council. “As such, staff do not expect any significant transportation impacts resulting from Metro Vancouver’s project. If the PBR project timeline changes, Metro Vancouver will adjust its project timelines accordingly to avoid further impacts to the transportation network. Traffic personnel will be on site as precautionary measures.”
The staff report states the noise impact is expected to be “minimal” to the neighbourhood.
According to the staff report, Metro Vancouver is proposing to conduct excavation, welding of pressure hatches, manhole casting removal, and paving/road restoration along Front Street on or after Monday, Jan. 15. The noise exemption allows the work to continue until Thursday, Feb. 29.
Coun. Ruby Campbell had several questions about the project at councils Jan. 8 meeting, including potential light pollution impacts for neighbours.
“My understanding is that no bright lights will be used,” said Kim Deighton, the city’s manager of integrated services. “They will use the local lighting and street lighting, and then the workers will have headlamps on to perform the work.”
Campbell said the work has to happen, and she’s pleased it’s being done in coordination with the work on the Pattullo Bridge replacement project. She questioned if the work would impact access to businesses on Front Street or the emergency shelter.
“My understanding about the traffic implications is that the trucks will be rerouted to Columbia Street, Royal Avenue and other roads, but the shelter and the businesses will always be accessible,” Deighton said. “There'll be no impact to their accessibility.”
