Project 22-1340 A - March 17, 2025 update

Watermain rehabilitation and improvement

Streets affected: Torbram Road from Steeles Avenue East to Balmoral Drive

Peel Region was working in your area from last year to rehabilitate the existing watermain on Torbram Road. This work is required to maintain and improve existing water services.

At this time, we have:

Rehabilitated the watermain on Torbram Road
Connected properties to the new watermain by replacing individual water service pipes/boxes
Temporarily repaired the driveways, road, curbs and sidewalk that were disturbed by watermain rehabilitation work.

Schedule for remaining construction and repair work

Construction was paused due to freezing temperatures. We expect to start work again by April 14th, 2025 to complete the following:

Continue to rehabilitate a section of existing watermain around Torbram Road and Steeles Avenue East intersection.
Complete the repair of driveways, road, curbs, sidewalk and sod (grass) that were disturbed by the watermain rehabilitation and associated work. This will include replacing the temporary asphalt repairs on driveways, curbs, sidewalks, and roads to complete the final restoration.

We plan to complete this work by end of June 2025. These timelines are estimates, as weather and other unexpected events may impact our timelines. This work will be under warranty for two years from the completion date.

What to expect during construction

In the period of construction, contractor crews will re-mobilize the machinery, material and other necessary equipment on site. Further to re-mobilization, following activities will be carried out:

Excavation to expose the existing watermain
Investigate, clean and structurally reline/rehabilitate the existing watermain
Water testing procedures to be carried onwards to ensure safe supply of drinking water to public
Re-connection between the watermains
Permanent driveway and road asphalt, curb, sidewalk and SOD restoration to take place

Learn what to expect during watermain construction by visiting peelregion.ca/construction/watermain and watching our short video. The video goes behind the scenes to show what happens before, during and after construction. This website also answers common questions about:

Why your water may be temporarily shut off
How traffic, parking, and waste collection may be affected
How driveways, roads and sod (grass) are repaired after construction is finished

Contractor normal working hours

The work will be completed by a contractor named FER-PAL Infrastructure, in contract to Peel Region. This contractor’s normal working hours are from 7:00a.m. to 7:00p.m., Monday to Friday. These hours are consistent with the local municipality’s bylaws. We understand this may cause some inconvenience, but shorter working days would require your area to be under construction for a longer period of time.

Night Work hours

As due to majority of the existing watermain rehabilitation works being carried out at Steeles Avenue East and Torbram Road intersection area, the night time work practices will be required from around 7:00pm – 7:00am in the morning sometimes to reduce the impact of our work on traffic congestion in the area. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience caused by this work.

Traffic

We may need to temporarily close road and right turn lanes or reduce traffic to a single lane during construction. If we must reroute traffic, we will place signs giving directions.

Interrupting your water supply

We anticipate that this construction project will require temporarily shutting off your water.

It is our goal to let you know 48 hours (2 days) in advance if we plan to shut off your water for an extended period (several hours). Occasionally we may have to reduce this notice to 24 hours.
If we need to shut off your water for a short duration (less than one hour), we will knock on your door to notify you.
If we must shut off your water due to an emergency, we will knock on your door to alert you and do everything we can to fix the problem as quickly as possible.

Areas impacted by construction

Rehabilitating and replacing existing watermains usually requires digging a trench within the municipal right-of- way, which includes the street and the land owned by the municipality between the water service box and the street. Depending on the location of the watermain, this trench might cause temporary damage to roads, curbs, sidewalks, boulevards, driveway aprons, and lawns within the municipal right-of-way.

Any damage caused by Regional construction will be repaired. We recommend that you delay any driveway paving or major landscaping projects until this construction work is completed.

In-ground sprinkler systems

As the front lawn may be affected by this construction work, if you have an in-ground sprinkler system we strongly recommend moving any sprinkler lines that are located in the municipal right-of-way or next to the sidewalk. If you can’t relocate these sprinkler lines, please send us a map created by your irrigation contractor or flag each sprinkler head that is located within one meter of the sidewalk, curb, or driveway. This will allow us to minimize the impact to your sprinkler system.

Tree protection and trimming

Trees located in the municipal right-of-way will be protected during construction using temporary fencing. If tree branches within the municipal right-of-way interfere with construction, the trees will be pruned beforehand. If tree branches on private property interfere with construction, they will be pruned back to the nearest suitable trunk or branch. The contractor will contact you before any pruning of private trees occurs. If you do not allow personnel onto your property to trim the tree, the branches will be cut vertically at the property line.

Repairing areas impacted by construction

We will start repairing the road, curb, sidewalk, driveways, and lawns once the existing rehabilitated watermain is completely buried. Repairs may be delayed due to contractor availability or certain seasonal weather conditions. For example:

Paving cannot take place when the ground is saturated with water, or the temperature is below 3°C.
Asphalt is not available in large volumes during the winter. Asphalt usually becomes available around mid- May.
Most sod farms are located north of Peel. They usually have sod available beginning in late May. We will replace the sod on your property once it is available.

Repairing grassy areas

The contractor will replace any damaged sod (grass) on the boulevard or your front lawn and will take care of the new sod for 30 days. You can help the sod stay healthy by watering it. A longer ‘deep root watering’ works better to establish new sod than watering more frequently for a shorter time. Watering in the early morning allows more water to soak in instead of evaporating.

Repairing driveways

Asphalt driveways: If we need to cut a section of your driveway, the driveway will be repaired by paving a stripe over the disturbed area, resulting in minimal seams in the final driveway. Peel Region cannot replace your entire driveway. If you would like to have the rest of your driveway paved, please contact the contractor, Fer Pal Infrastructure, at 416-742-3713. The contractor will then share contact information for the company hired to do the paving repairs. Please remember this is your option. If you decide to have your entire driveway repaved, this extra paving work is your responsibility and outside the jurisdiction of Peel Region.

Driveway access

It may be necessary to block your driveway for a short time when crews are either digging to rehabilitate the existing watermain, performing final restoration or completing other construction activities. If so, we will knock on your door to notify you. If a trench prevents access to your driveway, the contractor will have metal road plates available to allow access if required. Whenever possible, we will work to ensure businesses can be accessed. Please contact us if you have special needs related to access.

Waste collection

If you receive waste collection from Peel Region, your garbage, recycling, and organics will continue to be picked up on your regularly scheduled day. It is the contractor’s responsibility to move your garbage, recycling, and organics bins from the end of your driveway to a location where waste collection vehicles can pick them up. Empty containers will be returned to their corresponding addresses. Please make sure your house number is clearly marked on each bin. This helps us return empty bins to the correct address.

Vibrations

You could feel slight vibrations from the construction work.

Safety during construction

Construction zones require extra caution to keep everyone safe – pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and construction workers. When driving, walking, or biking through the construction area, please be aware of your surroundings, watch for construction crews and other road users, slow down, account for delays, and consider other routes if possible. To learn more about how to stay safe in construction zones, visit peelregion.ca/workzonesafety

Keeping you informed

We will let you know if there are any major changes to the plans. Receive timely project updates right to your inbox by signing up for e-notices. Visit peelregion.ca/construction/signup to start signing up.

Information on this project can also be found at peelregion.ca/construction/project-22-1340.

We value your feedback

After we have finished, we will invite you to provide feedback on the construction project. You can sign up to receive this survey electronically at peelregion.ca/construction/signup

Thank you for your patience as we complete this necessary work. This work will allow us to continue providing you with high quality tap water. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Water Linear Engineering Engineering
Services Division
Public Works, Peel Region
Email: construction@peelregion.ca
Phone: 905-791-7800 ext. 4409