Departure Bay Pump Station and Forcemain Expansion Project

Hello - Yes, pedestrians and cyclists will be able to go both ways in unidirectional vehicle traffic zones. Within construction zones, cyclist may be required to dismount and walk their bikes through the worksite. 

Hello -  The project team is currently developing a traffic management plan that will look at options for maintaining traffic flow during construction on Hammond Bay Road. It will consider traffic management, potential alternate routes, traffic light timing, safety for all road users, emergency vehicle and service vehicle access, transit and more. The plan will include an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of opening the connection between Gulfview and Sundown to balance traffic flow and road safety; at this stage a recommendation has not been made – we will share updates here about the plan, once approved.

Hello – Thank you for your comment. The project team is currently developing a traffic management plan that will look at options for maintaining traffic flow during construction on Hammond Bay Road. It will consider traffic management, potential alternate routes, traffic light timing, safety for all road users, emergency vehicle and service vehicle access, transit and more. The plan will include an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of opening the connection between Gulfview and Sundown to balance traffic flow and road safety; at this stage a recommendation has not been made – we will share updates here about the plan, once approved.

Hello traffic guy – Thanks for your message and sharing this description.

As part of the Departure Bay Forcemain and Pump Station project work, the City is looking to implement some improvements to pedestrian/cycling safety infrastructure along the Hammond Bay Road corridor. At our open house in January, we shared a map showing areas of concern that we’ve heard from the community – and a marked crosswalk at Friar Tuck Way is included (you can see that map here, on Pg. 9 – also posted under “Document Library” of this webpage). We will record this concern description as well.

The City is currently working on analysis of opportunities to improve pedestrian and cycling safety, where possible, given limitations in the physical space and costs for improvements. That assessment is currently underway, and we will share updates as they are available.

Hello - thanks for the question. Construction is currently expected to be underway in Segment I near McGuffie first (Note that Segment A is at the Departure Bay end of the route), with Section F to be activated in 2026 as well, but currently expected to start later in 2026 than Segment I. The segment map and high level schedule presented at the January event has not been changed at this point. We will provide continued updates about schedule as it is further refined via this project page. The segment map is available for reference in the meantime under "Document Library" as part of the Event Display Boards . Let us know if you have any further questions,

Hello - thanks for checking in. We know there is a high degree of interest in surface improvements along the corridor, and the City of Nanaimo is looking for opportunities during this project to improve pedestrian and cycling safety, where possible, given limitations in the physical space and costs for improvements. The City is working on analysis of what can be feasible, and we will share updates when they're available.

Hello - thanks for checking in, and for signing up for news updates. We have not distributed any news updates recently as we haven't had any new announcements to make. We've been working to keep this page up to date for people who come and check it, for new visitors and to address frequently-asked questions. We will continue to do so, and send email updates when there is news to share (for example - when the traffic management plan is complete, or a confirmed start date is set).
We've checked the event display board files with a few computers and they seem to be loading clearly. If you would like us to email you a copy, please send us a message at dbsewerproject@rdn.bc.ca - Thanks!

Hello, and thank you for your question. A number of factors affect how the project schedule and construction sequence are developed, including traffic impacts, permitting requirements, and construction costs. The traffic management of this narrow corridor has had a large influence on the sequencing of this project and is being developed to minimize impact to the community.

The construction costs on a large project like this are managed across the whole project budget and are not broken down into sections. This means the costs experienced from the installation of the pipe are continuous and not impacted by the length of the section being constructed. Escalation costs on materials are being monitored closely, and the project team is actively looking at ways to manage these impacts. For example, purchasing materials early and storing them until they are needed is an effective way to reduce these costs.

The team is committed to delivering this project as efficiently and cost‑effectively as possible while minimizing impacts to the community.

Hello - We are currently developing a traffic management plan – a process that includes looking at a range of traffic management approaches to assess how best to maintain flow, meet service needs and enable the project to progress. No decisions have been made about the traffic management plan at this time, as it is still in development. We will share the outcome of that planning process with the community as soon as we're able.

Hello - thanks for the questions. The entire Departure Bay Pump Station and Forcemain project - which includes the installation of the forcemain along the roadway and the upgrades to the pump station - will take four years in total. The work is expected to take that long due to the complexity of replacements, and because the Hammond Bay road corridor has limited capacity to accommodate the significant construction required while maintaining an appropriate level of services to the area (traffic, emergency services, transit, waste collection, water, sewer, etc). The project team is also interested in seeing it move forward as efficiently as possible, and has spent a lot of time planning to balance the community's needs with the goal of maximizing productivity.