Campbell River’s main waterfront corridor will receive significant improvements in the coming years – both above ground and beneath the pavement. The extensive upgrades will require prolonged construction work along the Island Highway corridor.
With council’s July 24 approval of the South Island Highway project plan, sewer and roadway upgrades along Highway 19A are scheduled to begin in 2018 and run until 2021.
“This upgrade is a combination of several inter-connected and complex projects to replace aging infrastructure, funded significantly with senior government support,” says Ron Neufeld, the city’s deputy city manager and general manager of operations. “This work will improve the look and function of the highway, and relocate the sewer line away from its current location, where it is vulnerable to erosion caused by wave action and anticipated sea level rise.”
The first phase of construction for the upgrade work will relocate waterfront sewer lines that currently run along the beach from Hidden Harbour to the Maritime Heritage Centre. A new, larger sewer line will meet future community growth potentials and will follow the edge of the highway from 1st Ave. to the Maritime Heritage Centre. Council has directed staff to consider options to include a cycling lane when the route is under construction to install sewer lines.
In 2019, upgrades will begin to continue improvements to Highway 19A, along a one-kilometre stretch from just south of Rockland Road to the southern limit of McCallum Park. The end result will include upgraded sewer, drainage and water lines and all above-ground utilities relocated underground. This work is supported with $6,434,550 from the provincial and federal New Build Canada Fund – Small Communities Fund. Plans for this work include a roundabout and parking lot at Rockland Road.
The Big Rock boat ramp is also scheduled for upgrades during 2018. This work will include an improved ramp with floating gangways and expanded breakwaters. Improvements at the boat ramp such as the potential for expanded parking and other amenities will be designed as an integral part of the Highway 19A project, with further construction decisions to be made once the design work is complete in 2019.
Boat ramp upgrades will be designed and timed to coordinate as closely as possible with the highway improvements to minimize disruption to traffic along the Highway 19A corridor. Both projects are located along some of the lowest-lying portions of the local shoreline, and the effect of anticipated sea level rise and ways to protect the highway and foreshore infrastructure will also be considered.
“Council’s long-range view of community development includes support for replacing critical infrastructure such as water, sewer, roads and enhancements to the waterfront,” says Mayor Andy Adams. “Campbell River’s budget and plan for this work is spread out over a number of years, guided by the city’s financial resiliency and stabilization plan.”
In preparation for construction, at the July 10 meeting, council awarded a contract to Stantec Consulting Ltd. for up to $320,225.40 for all necessary engineering services required to complete the detailed design for the sanitary sewer system upgrades to take place from 2018 through 2022 – from the Big Rock boat ramp property north along Highway 19A to the Maritime Heritage Centre. Stantec will also provide construction engineering services, including necessary upgrades to sewer lift stations.
Council has directed staff to finalize the overall budget in the approved project plan for consideration as part of the financial plan deliberations that will occur in December.
Find out more about this and other capital projects, at: www.campbellriver.ca/city-services/capital-improvement-projects. To get the news as it’s published, register for email updates.