$110.6 million Newmarket sewage pipe project on track for completion by end of 2021

Ontario Construction News staff writer

Work on a $110.6 million, 5.1-kilometre sewage pipe that will twin the existing 36-year-old pipe through Newmarket is on schedule for completion in December 2021.

By the end of 2019, drilling should be finished at three locations, including work south of Mulock Drive from Cane Parkway and from Fairy Lake to the Bogart Creek Pumping Station, on Hamilton Street.

The York Durham Sewage System Force Main Twinning project will provide a second sewage forcemain pipe that runs along Newmarket, allowing the city to transfer the current sewage flow to the new pipe and maintain the old 36-year-old pipe.

Underground drilling is being used to reduce road closures – a key issue for the project. The micro-tunnelling process, which runs continuously 24 hours a day, Monday to Saturday, for the rest of the year, puts workers about 10 to 15 metres below ground. Sound insulating walls were installed, lighting will be reduced during night hours and there will be no night-time traffic.    All drilling for the sewage pipe project will be completed by the end of 2020.

The original pipe hasn’t been inspected since it first started operating due to continuous growth. Until now, Newmarket was the only municipality in the region without a twin force main.

The project includes:

• Building a new twinned forcemain to move wastewater from the Newmarket Pumping Station to the Aurora Pumping Station
• Building a new twinned forcemain to move wastewater from the Bogart Creek Pumping Station to the new forcemain
• Changes to the Newmarket and Bogart Creek Pumping Stations to connect to the new twinned forcemain

York Region is using micro-tunnelling technology to complete 95 percent of construction and best practices to minimize disruptions to the public and natural environment. Project features include:

• Strategically located work areas to protect the natural environment and avoid close proximity to residential homes and businesses
• Enclosed work areas with three-metre high solid fencing to limit disturbances, protect the public and minimize noise
• Dedicated trucking routes to minimize impacts to local roads
• Measurement of noise and vibration measured prior to construction and continuously during construction

The region plans to restore some of the construction site areas by replanting trees and making landscape upgrades, in consultation with the town.

 

Source: Ontario Construction News (https://ontarioconstructionnews.com)