Starting Monday, January 22, 2024, the City will begin construction on Benchlands Drive and Hawthorn Street. Crews are upgrading the local sewer system and adding green rainwater infrastructure to support the growing Benchlands neighbourhood.
The $4,800,000 project replaces aging underground pipes with a separated system. You will see two new pipes going in: one carries stormwater runoff, and the other carries household sewage. This change stops combined sewer overflows into the Tamsin River when the snow melts or heavy rain falls. It also reduces the risk of localized flooding on your street.
Along Benchlands Drive, the City is also installing six rain garden planters and three permeable sidewalk panels. These green features use engineered soil and native plants to soak up rain naturally. They clean pollutants before the water reaches the river and take pressure off the main pipe network.
“Investing in separated sewers and green infrastructure protects public health and keeps our city growing,” says Mayor Danielle Okafor-Price. “It gives our neighbourhood a stronger system to handle extreme weather while reducing pollution in the Tamsin River.”
The work is funded through Development Charges collected from new housing projects, with the remainder covered by the City’s capital programmes. City Manager Robert Eng and GM Infrastructure and Planning Samuel Adeyemi are overseeing the project to keep it on schedule.
To keep the work zone safe, you will see lane closures block by block. Pedestrians can still walk past the work zones using the marked sidewalks. Please park yourself on nearby side streets while the crew works. Construction runs Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Learn more about how we manage stormwater runoff and protect our local waterways on the Stormwater management and drainage page.