Road construction and improvements
West 4th Avenue
City crews are working at the 1400 - 2400 Block West 4th Avenue block (from Granville Street to Balsam Street) and the 2800 - 3500 Block West 4th Avenue block (from Macdonald Street to Collingwood Street) for water, sewer and/or street construction between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The City will make every effort to minimize disruption during construction. Thank you for your patience.
Start date
Monday, January 21, 2013
Expected completion
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Description of work
City construction crews will upgrade the 100-year-old sewage pipes that lie underneath West 4th Avenue. Once replaced, the pipes are expected to serve the neighbourhood for another 100 years. City crews will also be upgrading the aging roadway and sidewalk.
The City will minimize disruption to the area so that your daily routines will not be adversely impacted. City crews will make every effort to minimize the impact of their work with respect to noise levels in your neighbourhood early in the mornings. Some of the sound you can expect to hear would be from machinery such as excavators, backhoes, dump trucks, pavers and vibrating rollers throughout the day.
During construction:
- One traffic lane will remain open in each direction with intermittent delays.
- Businesses will remain open as usual and access to businesses will be maintained at all times.
- Parking restrictions along West 4th Avenue will be in effect in the construction zones. We will reinstate parking as soon as we can safely do so.
- All City equipment and materials will be contained within the construction zones.
Why we are doing this project
The current sewer system is over 100-years-old and needs to be replaced. Most of Vancouver’s original sewer system was constructed using “combined” sewers (a single pipe in the street that carries both storm water runoff and sewage). This type of system is prone to causing sewage backup into homes and overflow into surrounding water bodies during heavy rainfall. The City has a mandate to replace the combined system with a separated system. Once the sewer utilities have been rebuilt, they are expected to serve the neighbourhood for another 100 years.
Along with the new sewer system, there will also be a new water main line installed between Burrard and Granville streets. This will achieve the necessary replacement of aging water infrastructure to ensure that the City continues to supply clean drinking water to the neighbourhood well into the next century.
The aging roadway and sidewalk infrastructure will also be replaced. The work will include sections of new curbs, sidewalks, wheelchair ramps and full road width pavement following utility construction. The pavement rehabilitation is expected to serve the community for 20 years.
