Major Infrastructure Upgrades: Main & Vancouver Street

Wednesday, April 24^th, 2024 - Yarmouth, N.S. – An underground infrastructure project will get underway soon at the intersection of Main and Vancouver Streets in Yarmouth. Announced last year, the project involves excavation of the intersection to replace critical infrastructure that has reached the end of its life. Work includes full underground replacement of water and wastewater lines, an upgrade to audible pedestrian controllers, traffic lights upgrade, and a road rebuild.

The intersection is one of Yarmouth’s busiest and includes the primary route to the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Emergency vehicles (EHS/ambulance) will still have access through the area, but traffic delays will occur because of detours and lane closures.

Here are some key facts:

• Construction is planned to begin the week of May 6th, and run until September. The timeline depends upon the weather, as well as unknowns during excavation.
• The area for excavation is the full intersection, extending slightly north and south on Main Street, just beyond the bridge on Vancouver Street, and the bottom portion of Chestnut Street. Work will be done in phases, and will be completed by Aberdeen Construction.
• The contractor will maintain access through the area for emergency vehicles. They will keep close communications with EHS (ambulance), fire, and police, and advise them of detours and changes that affect lanes to the hospital.
• Traffic delays and detours are unavoidable with this type of work. Anyone travelling to the hospital for work or services should plan ahead, consider alternate routes, and closely monitor updates from the Town of Yarmouth.

Stay Informed

The town will use its social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter/X), along with its community notifications service “Alertable” and website, to communicate regular updates, particularly those related to traffic detours. The town will also send major updates to local media (e.g. CJLS Radio).

For more project information, including a detailed set of frequently asked questions, please visit: https://getinvolvedyarmouth.ca/

At this time, plans are being finalized for major underground infrastructure upgrades at the intersection of Main/Vancouver/Chestnut Streets. This project involves crucial upgrades needed to replace old water and sewer lines. A great deal of patchwork has been completed in this area over the years to keep these lines open and functioning, but patchwork is no longer an option. Before more serious issues arise, the decision was made to remove and replace the old pipes, and give the intersection a complete makeover in the process.

Work is set to begin this spring. As part of an early phase of work to prepare for excavation in the area, three town-owned trees will soon be removed. Two of the trees are located on the west side of Main Street directly in front of the Yarmouth Professional Centre, the third is on the south side of Chestnut Street at the intersection.

Why are the trees being taken down?

Exploratory work of the underground has determined that much of the root systems of these large trees lie within the excavation area beneath Main and Chestnut Streets. When these areas are excavated to remove the old infrastructure, the roots must be removed as well. Removing the roots compromises the trees, making them unstable and a serious threat for falling over during storms or high winds. Therefore, the very difficult decision has been made to remove them ahead of the project start.

These trees, like so many others throughout town, are beautiful assets to our community. No one wants to see them come down. However, when planted in these locations that tie into surrounding infrastructure - when that underground infrastructure is removed and replaced, often so are the trees.

Will there be a disruption in traffic at the intersection during removal?

Yes, lane closures will need to occur for safety as these are very tall trees. More details will be revealed shortly on detours and lane closures, as well as expected timeframes.

The tender was awarded to Aberdeen construction with the start date moved to spring of 2024

Tuesday, July 18th, 2023 - Yarmouth, N.S. – At last Thursday’s regular council meeting, council approved a construction tender for a major project to replace underground infrastructure and traffic lights at the intersection of Main Street and Vancouver Street. The tender was awarded to Aberdeen Construction for their bid of $2,850,552. The project will be completed in the spring of 2024.

The project was originally planned to begin this summer. However, the construction industry is very busy and competitive at this time. In order to ensure the project tender received sufficient interest and completion at a price within range of the original budget, the tender was adjusted to allow flexibility for the contractor to determine the start date. As a result, the project will now take place next spring, with more precise dates provided closer to actual start of work.

Work to be completed will include full underground replacement of water and wastewater lines, an upgrade to audible pedestrian controllers, traffic lights upgrade, and a road rebuild. In recent years, Aberdeen has completed a number of significant infrastructure projects in the town of Yarmouth including the Parade Street underground replacement in 2021, the Main/Glebe Street underground in 2020, and the Cliff Street underground project in 2017.

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS/HOUSING -- Water, Wastewater Infrastructure Upgrades in Four Communities
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The Province is investing a total of $3.9 million in infrastructure upgrades in Mahone Bay, Yarmouth, Digby and Clare that will help prepare the municipalities for future growth.

“Our municipalities depend on modern infrastructure to be competitive and attract new residents to their communities,” said Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr. “By making these investments, we will improve the efficiency of the water and wastewater systems, ensuring residents and businesses have the services they expect and depend on every day and laying the foundation for continued growth for years to come.”

The Mahone Bay project will increase water flow for fire response, support new development and increase the capacity to treat and manage wastewater and stormwater for the more than 70 commercial, residential and institutional properties in the area. The Province is contributing more than $1.8 million.

In Yarmouth, the project will increase the capacity to treat and manage wastewater and stormwater while increasing access to potable water, with the Province providing almost $800,000.

The project in Digby will bring a section of Mount Street up to current wastewater standards and make it possible to service residential buildings that will be built on the vacant land. The Province is providing $780,000.

The Province is investing $520,000 to expand wastewater infrastructure for a proposed housing development on Sunset Road in Meteghan River in the Municipality of the District of Clare in Digby County.

The projects are funded federally through the Green Infrastructure and Rural and Northern Infrastructure streams of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

Quotes:
“The Government of Canada is committed to supporting infrastructure projects that enable communities to grow and thrive. The investment in wastewater infrastructure for four communities in Nova Scotia announced today will help protect our water supply from environmental threats, ensuring that community growth is green and inclusive.”
- Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for Central Nova, on behalf of Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

“This provincial and federal support for planned water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades in Mahone Bay meets an essential capability to move our town forward. Our town water and wastewater systems will be enabled to keep pace with changing regulatory requirements while meeting our community needs and addressing the changing climate. We could not achieve these goals without the support of our provincial and federal partners.”
- David DeVenne, Mayor, Town of Mahone Bay

"We are tremendously thankful to both the federal government and the Province of Nova Scotia for the funding provided for this much-needed project. Upgrading the water and sewer infrastructure in this location is an important part of the work we need to do – work that can only be done when all levels of government work together."
- Pam Mood, Mayor, Town of Yarmouth

“The Mount Street improvements, such as the surface refinishing, sidewalks and upgrades to our water and wastewater, will mean a safer neighbourhood and more opportunities for housing developments.”
- Ben Cleveland, Mayor, Town of Digby

“By way of this project, the municipality is not only investing in its capacity to manage wastewater, it is also enabling the construction of new, eco-friendly housing stock and increasing both the amount and variety of affordable housing options within the municipality.”
- Yvon LeBlanc, Warden, Municipality of the District of Clare

Quick Facts:
-- the total federal contribution to these four projects is $4,752,800
-- the Town of Mahone Bay is contributing $1,489,333
-- the Town of Yarmouth is contributing $639,733
-- the Town of Digby is contributing $624,000
-- the Municipality of the District of Clare is contributing $415,467

Additional Resources:
Federal infrastructure investments in Nova Scotia: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-ns-eng.html

Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing: https://beta.novascotia.ca/government/municipal-affairs