Mill Creek trunk rehabilitation

In 2020, crews had identified large holes in the trunk as well as a deteriorated manhole. An emergency repair was completed in Mill Creek Ravine, which involved impacts to the trail system, tree removal and heavy equipment being transported and utilized on site.

Further inspections were completed to evaluate the remainder of the trunk’s condition. Due to the poor condition and location of the line, a new trunk was needed to replace the existing trunk and ensure the system continues to reliably meet the needs of the City of Edmonton. Once the new trunk has been constructed, a portion of the existing trunk in Mill Creek Ravine will be abandoned.

The selected alignment of the new trunk is located outside of Mill Creek Ravine. The completion of the new trunk will help reduce the risk of significant environmental impacts to the ravine in the event of a trunk failure.

Mid-March to summer 2025

​Sidewalks/w​​alkways 

​Pedestrians will be detoured along the west side of the construction site via a temporary walkway.

Working hours

​Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During tunneling, the tunnel boring machine will be running 24/7.​

Haul rou​te 

Two haul routes from the site may be utilized in order to avoid traveling on 98 Street in front of Mill Creek School. For the main haul route, trucks will proceed north on 96 Street to 82 Avenue. In the event that this route cannot be accessed, trucks will proceed south toward 63 Avenue. 

While the haul route will see increased activity due to construction, the routes will remain open to regular traffic. There may be intermittent road closures near the worksite while crews are moving equipment and materials.

Due to the proximity to Mill Creek School, no tandem trucks will travel to and from site on weekdays during school drop-off (between 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m.), or school pick-up (2:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., including Thursday early dismissal from 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.).

School soccer fiel​d

The soccer field goal posts will be moved further west to accommodate the site’s laydown area and allow for the continued use of the soccer field. The site will also be fenced and will use site hoarding material to block visibility and deter activity around the site.

Once construction is complete, the soccer goal posts will be moved back to their original location.

Tree trimming, removal and replacement

Several trees along the fence line on the west side of 97 Street, between 79 Avenue and 80 Avenue next to Mill Creek School, have been​ removed. 

Once construction is complete, the City of Edmonton Urban Forestry department will determine the number of trees to be replaced and the replacement locations.

Spring 2023 to mid-2025

T​raffic

​​There will ​be ​no parking adjacent to the worksite on 97 Street.

Sidewal​​ks/walkways

Pedestrians will be detoured via a temporary sidewalk from the east side of the worksite to the pedestrian path on the north side of the worksite (connected to the parking lot).

Worki​ng hours

Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Haul r​oute 

One haul route will be used to access this site. Trucks will proceed south from the worksite along 97 Street to 82 Avenue. There may be intermittent road closures on 97 Street near the worksite while crews are moving equipment and materials.

Tree trimmin​​g, removal and replacement

Several trees in the north east corner of Tubby Bateman Park on 97 Street will be removed. Once construction is complete, the City of Edmonton Urban Forestry department will determine the number of trees to be replaced and the replacement locations.

Tubby Bateman​​ Park green space

The worksite for the construction of the retrieval shaft will encompass a large portion of the green space within Tubby Bateman Park.

The playground will remain open during construction, however a large portion of the park space will be closed to the public for the duration of the Stage One construction.

We are working with the City of Edmonton to relocate or store any historic resources that are currently within the work area.​

Community d​isruption 

EPCOR will work with residents to understand individual impacts related to this work, such as garbage pick-up, accessibility issues and other needs. We will work to determine mitigations on a case by case basis.

Traff​ic

There will be a full road closure on 80 Avenue, from 97 Street to the intersection of 96 Street, to accommodate open cut construction. The road will be closed for the duration of this work.

Sidewalks/wa​​lkways

Sidewalks on 80 Avenue will remain open for pedestrians. Working Hours Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Haul r​oute

Trucks will proceed north on 97 Street to 82 Avenue or south toward 63 Avenue.

Community d​isruption 

There may be intermittent trail closures while crews are moving equipment, such as a mini-excavator, and materials to the worksites.

Please note, further notification will be provided to impacted residents before Stage Three work begins and will include details of traffic impacts, timelines and schedule when possible.

Noise abatement measures will be utilized at the 24 hour a day tunneling sites; however, construction noise should be anticipated. Activity is reduced to the minimum requirement during overnight hours.

Detours will be created for any sidewalk/pedestrian crossing closures.

​Lighting structures will be place low within the worksite to minimize light from spilling outside the worksite.

​As the construction worksites are in close proximity to Mill Creek School and Tubby Bateman Park, the site will utilize secure fencing and site hoarding material to block visibility and deter activity around the site.

EPCOR will work with Mill Creek School to provide safety education for students to promote safe behaviour around construction sites.

EPCOR will also provide information to the school to provide to parents.

The TBM being used for this project is 4.5 metres in length, weighs approximately 30 tonnes and is 2.7 metres in diameter.

​It is anticipated that the TBM will progress, on average, at a speed of about six metres per day in the expected conditions.

​The TBM operates under a pressure system to move forward. This is facilitated by the use of a slurry (water and material mixture) to lubricate the pipes and reduce the friction.

When tunneling stops, the slurry may harden and cause the pipes and TBM to be unable to be pushed forward.

A slurry separation machine is a large piece of equipment (approximately two stories tall) used to manage soil removal. The machine separates the solids from slurry, so that the water can be recycled back to system. The machine operates 24 hours a day while the TBM is tunneling.

Noise abatement panels will be used to dampen the noise generated by the machine.

Geotechnical investigations have been completed along the alignment and we anticipate that the ground conditions are favourable for tunneling. However, there is a risk the TBM could encounter harder soil or boulders, which could slow down progress.

Extreme weather including severe cold, heavy rains, high winds and lighting make working unsafe. During these conditions, the site will be shut down.

The start date of the project is dependent on relocation of the utilities, including a water main at Tubby Bateman Park, as well electricity and telecommunication lines at Ritchie School. Electricity and telecommunication line relocations are anticipated to take place in Q1 of 2023. The watermain relocation is anticipated to take place in Spring 2023. There may be some disruption to local services, however more information will be provided at the time of construction.

The TBM will be delivered from overseas, either from the manufacturer or from another project site. If there are delays with shipping, the tunneling portion of the project may be delayed.