Vancouver Infrastructure Project: Important Upgrades for Residents, Improved Water Security for the Yarmouth Regional Hospital

The Town of Yarmouth finished a major construction project this year. The Vancouver Street Sewer infrastructure upgrade was a big one, and arguably the biggest project of its kind taken on by the town in recent decades. It involved digging up the entire intersection over a four-month period. And not just any intersection. Often referred to as "five corners", the intersection of Vancouver, Main, and Chestnut Streets is one of Yarmouth's busiest, and includes the primary route to the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. The work was disruptive and the Town of Yarmouth thanks everyone for their patience throughout the project.

Now that work is finished, it's a good time to look back at what was accomplished and assess the many benefits. We'll start by observing the above-ground features. Driving or walking through the intersection, the positive changes are immediately noticeable. Drivers can enjoy fresh pavement. Pedestrians and drivers alike benefit from new traffic lights. Pedestrian buttons have been upgraded to audible, which meets the latest accessibility requirements. New curb ramps feature tactile warning surfaces to assist pedestrians with vision impairments. Radar detection improves driver experience; lights react faster, enabling quicker entry/exit.

Now let's look at the benefits we can't see. Old rock sewers formed this area's aging underground infrastructure. This presented difficulties when addressing repairs to water mains at the intersection. All of this old infrastructure was replaced. This includes water lines, but also combined sewer and stormwater pipes. Of note, over 200 meters of water line was installed, replacing the 70+ year old 6-, 8-, and 10-inch cast iron lines. New 12-inch PVC lines were placed on Main Street, Chestnut Street, Vancouver Street, and Water Street.

Upgrading these water lines is beneficial to the entire system and all water customers within town. In particular, the improvements benefit the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. The new lines bring better dependability, less maintenance, and increased capacity. The project also brought key infrastructure renewal before renovations happen at the hospital site in the future. To support the demands of a soon-to-be-built new emergency department, the flow rate to the hospital has been increased by approximately 20 litres/second. This sufficiently provides hospital water needs—present and future. In simple terms, the project improved water security for the hospital.

"The health and safety of our patients, staff and physicians depends on having reliable water and wastewater infrastructure capable of handling the demands of a large hospital. We were pleased to work closely with the Town of Yarmouth on planning around their ongoing underground infrastructure project," said Tanya Nixon, Vice President Operations - Western Zone, Nova Scotia Health. "With the Yarmouth Regional Hospital team, and our community, looking forward to the upcoming redevelopment of our emergency department, we can be confident the underground infrastructure, as well as the road leading to our hospital will be in the best shape it can be."

"It's a job very well executed by all involved and we are thankful for the positive response from community members who maneuvered their way through the project," said Town of Yarmouth Mayor, Pam Mood. "I would also say that the total cost of the project weighed against the cost of a probable system failure in the future, especially one that affects our hospital, was well worth every penny spent and absolutely necessary."

The completed work also has environmental impacts. Like similar projects completed in the downtown in recent years, this project replaced combined sewer and storm lines with separate lines for each. Separating the storm water from the sanitary line reduces the load on the Town's treatment plant, as clean rainwater flows directly to the harbour. This allows for a major reduction in electricity use by the plant and a reduction in greenhouse gases emitted by the town.

Finally, another key update will be the installation of a tidal check valve. Saltwater intrusion into the system has been observed during high tides and peak rainfall events over the past five years. This valve works to stop salt water from entering the system from the Harbour. Keeping saltwater out of the system also reduces the load on the treatment plant.