Crews have finished the underground portion of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main Replacement Project's Stage A work, completing 3.7 kilometres of microtunneling and the full concrete carrier pipe between the Shaganappi Pump Station and 73rd Street N.W. More than two kilometres of new steel feeder main are already installed inside that pipe.

"The completion of Stage A microtunneling is a significant step forward for the project," said Darren Finney, Manager, Major Projects. "This complex work involved tunneling beneath major infrastructure, minimizing impacts on the community. With the concrete carrier pipe now in place, we will continue installing the new steel feeder main, preparing for the critical system connection work planned for the Fall."

Stage B, the open-cut work along 34th Avenue N.W. in Bowness, is also progressing, with 40 per cent of that stage's pipe installation complete. Four blocks have reopened to traffic, with two more expected next week.

This fall brings the project's next big push. Shaganappi pump station work begins in September, around the same time the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant needs a brief, unrelated shutdown that could bring temporary outdoor water restrictions. Pipe tie-in work follows in mid-October, requiring Stage 4 restrictions and indoor conservation, before commissioning wraps things up in mid-November with no restrictions expected. Timelines remain estimates.

While the system is offline this fall, crews will also repair six spots on a separate, older stretch of pipe along Parkdale Boulevard and Memorial Drive N.W. — work timed to avoid a second future shutdown.

Residents can reach the project's Community Resource Centre at the Bowness Community Association, open Mondays and Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.