Crews began work at Beban Park on Wednesday, March 1 as part of two major City infrastructure projects. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

INTERRUPTIONS

Beban Park access & Bowen Rd. lane closures result from converging City projects

Mar 1, 2023 | 11:01 AM

NANAIMO — Access to Beban Park and travel along Bowen Rd. are scheduled to be interrupted over the coming weeks to make space for infrastructure upgrades.

Both the Midtown Gateway Project and Midtown Water Supply Project are converging at the south end of Beban Park, forcing the closure of the south entrance to the park for all of March.

Kurtis Noble, capital project management specialist with the City, told NanaimoNewsNOW both projects are preparing to cross Bowen Rd. at the same time.

“We’re installing all the underground infrastructure in preparation for the overall project and we’ve combined with the water supply project to install the two large diameter water supply lines through the Midtown Gateway site and across Bowen Rd., into Beban Park to connect up with their project.”

Work began Monday morning at the south entrance to Beban Park, however further traffic interruptions will come.

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Bowen Rd. will see alternating lane closures around the clock between March 11 to 26, with travellers asked to take one of many alternate routes in the area to avoid congestion. The intersection with Rosstown Rd. will also be closed during this time.

For the first part of March, construction in the area will be between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., however, crews are set to be on site 24 hours a day between March 11 and 26.

Access to the tennis courts, golf course and other Beban Park facilities remain open throughout, with access available further north on Bowen Rd. or via Labieux Rd.

Transit routes along Rosstown Rd. will be adjusted during the 16-day span, with riders asked to visit the BC Transit website for more information.

Once work wraps, access to Beban Park and two-lane travel along Bowen Rd. will be restored.

A map of the under-construction Midtown Gateway, seeing a new connections between Northfield Rd., Boxwood Rd. and Bowen Rd. (City of Nanaimo)

The Midtown Gateway Project is poised to relieve traffic volumes at the Bowen and Northfield Rd. intersection, extending Boxwood Rd. north and linking it to Rosstown Rd., which will become a cul-de-sac.

A new traffic light will be installed at a re-vamped Bowen Rd. intersection with a yet-to-be-named street.

Noble said the idea is to have three intersections, Northfield Rd. at both Bowen Rd. and Boxwood Rd., as well as Bowen Rd. and the new street, working together to move traffic more efficiently.

“All of those will be linked together and communicating with each other to monitor the situation as well as monitoring the roundabout. It will all sort of be communicating with each other to avoid any congestion and backlog there.”

Surface level changes, including road building, will occur in another phase next year with completion eyed for summer 2024.

The similarly-named, but decidedly different Midtown Water Supply Project is laying new water piplines from Vancouver Island University to the Labieux Water Station behind Beban Park.

It’s poised to handle the increased demand for water over the coming years in most areas of Nanaimo.

The project comes after a massive water line burst along Bowen Rd. in April 2020.

The full scope of Nanaimo’s Midtown Water Supply Project, which adds new connector lines for City infrastructure in south and central Nanaimo. (City of Nanaimo)

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