Watermain replacement and improvement
Dixie Road from Highway 401 to Britannia Road. Project 20-1311
Project updates
- May 10, 2023: Project Update Night Paving Notice on Dixie Road between Highway 401 and Britannia Road
- April 26 and 27, 2023: Night Work Notice on Dixie Road at Highway 401
- Apr. 14 & 15, 2023: Night Work Notice on Dixie Road at Highway 401
- Nov. 2, 2022: Night Work Notice on Dixie Road from Highway 401 and Britannia Road.
The Region of Peel will be working in your area to replace the watermain along Dixie Road, as shown on the attached map. The portion of the project crossing Highway 401 will be tunneled. Watermains are underground pipes that bring tap water from our water treatment plants to your neighbourhood. As pipes age and our population grows, we need to replace older watermains to keep providing high quality water to you.
Construction schedule
Construction will start in April 2022 and is scheduled to be completed by Summer 2023. All work is under warranty for two years from the completion date.
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Contractor and working hours
The work will be completed by FCM Construction Limited and supported by IBI GROUP, both under contract to the Region of Peel. This contractor’s normal working hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday. These hours are consistent with the local municipality’s bylaws. We understand this may cause some inconvenience, but shorter working days would require your area to be under construction for a longer period of time. Some night work will be scheduled in order to complete portions of the project near Highway 401 and for connection works.
Traffic
We may need to temporarily close roads or reduce traffic to a single lane during construction. If we must reroute traffic, we will place signs giving directions.
Interrupting your water supply
It is our goal to let you know 48 hours (2 days) in advance if we plan to shut off your water for an extended period (several hours). Occasionally we may have to reduce this notice to 24 hours. If we need to shut off your water for a short duration (less than one hour), we will knock on your door to notify you. If we must shut off your water due to an emergency, we will knock on your door to alert you, and do everything we can to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
Areas impacted by construction
Replacing watermains usually requires digging a trench within the municipal right-of-way, the land owned by the municipality between the water service box and the street. (The water service box is a small, round, metal valve located outside on the property line between your building and the road.) Depending on the location of the watermain, this trench might cause temporary damage to roads, curbs, sidewalks, boulevards, driveway aprons, and lawns within the municipal right-of-way.
To maintain your water supply, the Region of Peel will also replace:
- Your water service box and valve,
- The section of your water service pipe leading from the watermain to your water service box. The water service pipe carries water from the watermain to your building.
This requires digging up your water service box, and will affect an area at least 2 square meters around your service box in either your lawn or driveway.
Any damage caused by Regional construction will be repaired
We recommend you delay any driveway paving or major landscaping projects until this construction work is completed.
In-ground sprinkler systems
As the boulevard in front of your building may be affected by this construction work, we strongly recommend moving any sprinkler lines that are located in the municipal right-of-way or next to the sidewalk. If you can’t relocate these sprinkler lines, please send us a map created by your irrigation contractor or flag each sprinkler head that is located within one meter of the sidewalk, curb, or driveway. To obtain specific information related to our specific works in front of your property, please contact us and ask to speak with a member of our project team.
Tree trimming
If tree branches within the municipal right-of-way interfere with construction, the trees will be pruned beforehand. If tree branches on private property interfere with construction, they will be pruned back to the nearest suitable trunk or branch. If you do not allow personnel onto your property to trim the tree, the branches will be cut vertically at the property line.
Repairing areas impacted by construction
We will start repairing the road, curb, sidewalk, driveways, and lawns once the new watermain is buried and new water service lines have been connected to all properties on your street. Repairs may be delayed due to contractor availability or certain seasonal weather conditions.
For example:
- Paving cannot take place when the ground is saturated with water, or the temperature is below 3°C.
- Asphalt is not available in large volumes during the winter. Asphalt usually becomes available around mid-May.
- Most sod farms are located north of Peel. They usually have sod available beginning in late May. We will replace the sod on your property once it is available. We replace sod only until the middle of November, weather permitting, to let the sod grow roots. If we do not repair your lawn by the middle of November, we’ll replace the sod the following spring.
Repairing grassy areas
The contractor will replace any damaged sod (grass) on the boulevard or your front lawn and will take care of the new sod for 30 days. You can help the sod stay healthy by watering it. A longer ‘deep root watering’ works better to establish new sod than watering more frequently for a shorter time. Watering in the early morning allows more water to soak in instead of evaporating.
Repairing driveways
- Asphalt driveways: If we need to cut a section of your driveway or access, it will be repaired by paving a stripe over the disturbed area, resulting in minimal seams in the final driveway. The Region of Peel cannot replace your entire driveway.
- Interlock or concrete driveways and accesses: If we damaged a portion of your driveway, our contractor will reinstate the damaged portion of the driveway.
Temporary restoration
The Region of Peel is planning to complete roadwork on Dixie Road within the next few years. As a result of this, some of the restoration for our project will be temporary in nature. Some examples of this include:
- Pave only the areas of the street directly disturbed,
- Fix damaged sidewalks and curbs using asphalt,
- Patch your driveway or access to cover only the places we disturbed. As the future roadwork may affect the bottom of your driveway, we may pave the stripe at a future date.
Any temporary restoration affecting your property will be communicated directly to you in the future.
Driveway access
It may be necessary to block your access for a short time when crews are digging the trench for the watermain, replacing your water service box and pipe, or completing other construction activities. If so, we will knock on your door to notify you. If a trench prevents access to your driveway, the contractor will have metal road plates available to allow access if required. We will make sure businesses always have access. Please contact us if you have special needs related to access.
Waste collection
If you receive weekly waste collection from the Region of Peel, your garbage, recycling, and organics containers will continue to be picked up on your regularly scheduled day. It is the contractor’s responsibility to move your garbage, recycling, and organics bins from the end of your driveway to a location where waste collection vehicles can pick them up. Empty containers will be returned to their corresponding addresses. Please make sure your address number is clearly marked on each bin. If you have private waste collection, this will remain your responsibility.
Vibrations
You could feel slight vibrations from the construction work.
Private-side water service replacement
We are replacing the section of the water service pipe that leads from the watermain to your water service box (small round metal valve near the property line). The privately-owned section of the water service pipe (between the service box and your business) may likely be the same age and in the same condition. You may want to consider replacing it to ensure a constant supply of high-quality drinking water to your tap. Replacing the private-side water service pipe is the responsibility of the property owner. Peel Region cannot do this work for you. Refer to private side water service for more information.
Safety during construction
Construction zones require extra caution to keep everyone safe – pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and construction workers. When driving, walking, or biking through the construction area, please be aware of your surroundings, watch for construction crews and other road users, slow down, account for delays, and consider other routes if possible. Learn more about how to stay safe in construction zones.
Keeping you informed
We will let you know if there are any major changes to the plans.
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We value your feedback
After we’ve finished, we will invite you to provide feedback on the construction project.
You can sign up to receive this survey electronically at peelregion.ca/construction by clicking ‘Sign up for email notices’.
Thank you for your patience as we complete this necessary work. This work will allow us to continue providing you with high quality tap water. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Water Linear Engineering and Reliability, Engineering Services Division
Public Works, Region of Peel
Email: construction@peelregion.ca
Phone: 905-791-7800 ext. 4409
