City Provides First Year Plans for Construction on Water and Sewer Lines

Major Replacement Project Coined Big Infrastructure Gap (BIG) Project

PRINCE RUPERT, MAY 15th, 2024- With funding now secured and the first area of work mapped out, the City has BIG plans for water and sewer infrastructure coming down the pipe over the next few years. At last Monday’s Council meeting, staff provided a presentation to Council of the proposed corridors slated for major water and sewer line replacements in the first year of construction.

“It’s exciting to finally be able to see and share the map of the first areas to undergo major replacement,” said Mayor Herb Pond. “Staff are still in the design phase for residential areas. Once the actual construction starts, neighbourhood level signage will be placed. In addition, you can expect notices with details about what this means for residents. There is also a dedicated webpage that is worth checking out. It has more information on the project.”

These corridors were prioritized based on their highest risk and likelihood of failure based on the known age and condition of infrastructure in the area. Below are the approximate locations of the year 1 corridors. The City aims to address:

  • Shawatlan Road – which is in progress
  • Back half of Crestview
  • Conrad and Victoria Street
  • 11th Avenue
  • Alfred and Bacon Street
  • Areas of Hays Cove Ave
  • And areas of 10th, 9th, 8th and 7th

Here is the map showing their location. Please note that during the design phase of this project, there may be slight adjustments based on new information received during planning and potentials to achieve efficiencies.

Residents in impacted areas are encouraged to head to our information page, launched this week, which provides additional background and answers a number of questions that residents may have about the impacts of construction. That information can be found, here: https://engage.princerupert.ca/big.

Although disruptive in the short term, this project is a significant generational investment into infrastructure in the prescribed areas. It will improve the reliability of service delivery, enhance water quality and minimize future disruptions in our distribution system.

BACKGROUND

The Big Infrastructure Gap (BIG) project is the City of Prince Rupert's plan to upgrade and replace the most critical of our aged water and sewer infrastructure. There are significant areas (26 km total) that have been identified as priorities for replacement. Given the volume of work needed to be done as well as design work needed, the schedule for work may be variable.

If you are curious about whether your street will be impacted, you can check out the "Map of High Risk/Likelihood of Failure Water Mains" document on the project website to see if your street is among those slated for major replacement work. Please note that although this map identifies all areas that are priority for replacement, not all areas on this map may be replaced during the current construction schedule. As the project continues, this webpage and associated communication materials will showcase the upcoming corridors and relevant project information.

The BIG Project will provide inter-generational benefits to our community. By upgrading our aging infrastructure, we aim to provide the following improvements:

  • A generational investment into our failing infrastructure that will safeguard the water supply system from potential future failure
  • Reliability and improved efficiency in delivering clean drinking water to Prince Rupert’s residents and business's
  • Economic growth through the creation of employment opportunities and local construction capacity
  • Additional resilience to our water system, improving emergency preparedness, protecting the water system against natural disasters

This project is supported through grant funds from the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada, as well as municipal borrowing.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Veronika Stewart, Manager of Communications, Engagement and Social Development
Office: (250) 627 0976
Cell: (778) 884 6285
Email: veronika.stewart@princerupert.ca

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