1 down, 5 hotspots to go: Feeder main fixed as Calgary crews work to repair broken pipe

The original broken pipe that caused a massive water main break in northwest Calgary has been fixed, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Sunday.

The mayor reported the good news in an afternoon update Sunday, where she revealed that work will begin Monday on fixing five hotspots that require immediate attention.

That wasn’t the only good news, either: the final 300 metres of the pipe that were assessed by a robot Saturday night were found to have no further cause for concern.

And the city received a replacement pipe from the City of San Diego that will be used as a segment of pipe for its feeder main, with a message written on it that said, ‘Good luck Calgary.’

It also revealed that two other municipalities will be sending some infrastructure to help fix the five hotspots that need repairing.

“This progress would not be possible without the support of our partners both near and far,” said Calgary capital priorities and investment director Francois Bouchart. “From sourcing materials across North America to collaborating with leading industry professions, our gratitude goes out to all those stepping up to support Calgary as we recover together.”

Repairs to the existing hotspots will start Monday, with crews working 24 hours a day to fix them.

Mayor Gondek said the city was consulting with six private contractors, some of them from the energy industry, to tap into their expertise at repairing pipes.

Traffic changes

The primary change will be to traffic flow in Bowness.

At 11 p.m. Sunday, eastbound lanes on 16 Avenue N.W. are reopening to traffic.

At the same time, 16 Avenue will be closed in both directions from 46 Street to 45 Street N.W.

It will also be closed in both directions from 43 Street  to Bowness Road N.W.

East and westbound traffic will be detoured onto Bowness Road. Expect delays.

“Roads may get worse,” said Sue Henry, who added that the traffic disruptions will help accelerate the ability of the city to complete repairs as fast as possible.

At an earlier update Sunday morning, Gondek said the city consumed only 438 million litres of water Saturday, the lowest number since the water main break occurred in early June.

The next update will be Monday at 8:30 a.m. To watch live, log onto CTV Calgary.