The City of Calgary has unveiled Stage B of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main (BSFM) replacement project that will further disrupt traffic, home and business owners in the area when construction begins in May.
The entire project involves replacing the current BSFM, which ruptured on Dec. 30, with a new steel pipe, that will be installed parallel to, and will eventually replace, the old pipe, running from the Shaganappi pump station, just west of Point McKay to the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant.
Stage A began on Jan. 23 using microtunnelling, a specialized, trench-less technique used to install large-diameter pipe underground, when there are major obstacles at ground level, which in this case include 16 Ave. N.W, the Bow River, Sarcee Tr. and the CPKC rail line.
Staging and construction sites include Edworthy Park, near a section of the Bow River Pathway, in Shouldice Park, between 16 Ave. and Bowness Rd. N.W, Sarcee Tr. near 73 St. and Bonita Cres. N.W.
Stage B will run from 73 St. to 87 St. N.W. which the city said in a statement “will be constructed using an open-cut method. This approach allows the work to be completed more efficiently and significantly reduces the overall construction schedule.”
Open-cut construction involves excavating a trench along the road right-of-way, installing the new pipe into the open trench then backfilling the trench and restoring the surface once the work is complete.
The replacement feeder main will be installed along 34 Ave. while the existing feeder main is located along 33 Ave. N.W.
“Construction of Stage B is expected to begin in May 2026 and will take approximately five months, with pipe construction estimated to be completed by October,” reads the city’s statement.
“Open-cut construction will be sequenced in large sections along the alignment, with one or two sections completed at a time. As each section is finished, the roadway will be reopened, and crews will move to the next area,” reads the statement.
“This approach helps reduce the duration of localized impacts. More details on construction sequencing and section locations will be shared as it becomes available.”
The city advises that the open-cut construction will result in significant impacts for residents in the area including traffic disruptions, noise, street parking impacts, dust and changes to local access.
“Plans are rapidly evolving, and teams are currently assessing the full scope of impacts,” it says, adding it plans to issue ongoing updates.
More information about the project can be found at calgary.ca/BSFMproject.
