Concerns surround century-old Stephen Avenue water main as repairs paused

Several businesses along Stephen Avenue are relieved the City of Calgary paused construction over concerns the project would impact bottom lines during tourist season.

There are concerns that a more than 100-year old water pipe under Stephen Avenue is degrading, according to Calgary’s mayor, as the project to repair the pipe is paused after a group of businesses threatened legal action.

Work on the Stephen Avenue Revitalization Project was set to begin on Monday, the day after the end of this year’s Calgary Stampede.

The project was set to see phased upgrades along the entire stretch of 8 Avenue, starting between Centre and 1 streets southeast.

Construction would’ve included replacing underground utilities including a 1910-era water main, surface upgrades in the centre of the avenue, and new soil cells for tree growth.

“There’s concern that there continues to be degradation of that pipe,” Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek told Global News. “We want to get in there and look at it and see what kind of a fix needs to be done or if it’s a replacement.”

According to the City of Calgary, the pipe is currently functional, but the infrastructure is aging and has been identified for potential lifecycle replacement as part of a broader revitalization plan.

“There is urgency in this,” Gondek said. “But that urgency also has to be balanced with an entire avenue that’s got businesses reliant on our visitor economy that is strongest at this time of year.”

It was revealed on Friday that city officials had put a temporary paused on the project, after a coalition of business owners in the area said it would pursue legal action against the city over the project’s timeline and potential impacts to their bottom lines during the construction schedule.