Start of construction for natural gas upgrades.

*Reminder regarding private landscaping encroachments on city boulevards.

Enbridge plans to start construction on upgrades to natural gas infrastructure on Waterloo Street and Moore Avenue South starting on or about Monday March 11, 2024. Enbridge has hired Aecon to complete the work. Residents should be provided a notice letter by Enbridge prior to the start of construction. This notice contains contact information if you have any questions or concerns during construction. Please contact Enbridge for any issues during construction as the City of Waterloo is not involved in this process and all inquiries to the City will be re-directed to the contact at Enbridge.

Residents may notice that certain areas disturbed by Aecon’s construction are not fully restored following construction. This may mean that grassed areas are not properly restored with topsoil and seed and are left with sand or gravel, or that sidewalks are not restored with concrete. This is because these areas will inevitably be disturbed again during road reconstruction. This restoration work will be completed by the City’s contractor following reconstruction of the street’s.

At this stage, the City would like to remind residents about removing landscaping and landscaping features within the publicly owned right-of-way (i.e. boulevard). If residents wish to preserve any landscaping in the boulevard, they should remove them in advance of the start of road reconstruction. Residents should also contact Enbridge to determine if they should remove landscaping in advance of natural gas upgrades.

As a reminder, the City-owned boulevard on Waterloo Street and Moore Avenue South extend as follows:

• Waterloo Street, North side: Property line is between 0.05 and 0.25 metres from edge of sidewalk, depending on location.
• Waterloo Street, South side: Property line is between 0.75 and 1.05 metres from edge of sidewalk, depending on location.
• Moore Avenue South, West side: Property line is between 1.25 and 1.55 metres from edge of sidewalk, depending on location.
• Moore Avenue South, East side: Property line is between 1.25 and 1.55 metres from edge of sidewalk, depending on location.

Any landscaping features within the space is at risk of damage or complete removal by the contractor during construction. The City does not replace or reimburse costs for any private landscaping removed or damaged during construction. Please contact the undersigned if you require assistance in locating the property line in front of your residence.

As previously noted, private landscaping in City boulevards is regulated by section 5 of By-law 2014-054, a By-Law to Regulate Work on Highways and Boulevards, also known as the Highway Occupancy Bylaw. Please note that the bylaw was recently updated. Please see the excerpt included in the “Project Library” to review the newly approved rules.

During a road reconstruction project, the City will address private landscaping on City property in the following manner:

• Notice of the start of construction will be provided via a mailout to affected residents. This will contain the anticipated start date of construction and provide a final opportunity for you to remove and/or salvage any landscaping. A contractor has not yet been procured, but road reconstruction is currently anticipated to begin mid to late May 2024.

• Any landscaping not removed prior to the start of construction may be damaged and/or removed by the City’s contractor. As part of the reconstruction the City will reinstate boulevards with topsoil and sod but will not replace, or reimburse costs for, any private landscaping removed prior to or damaged during construction. Any owner who subsequently places landscaping in the City-owned boulevard does so entirely at his or her own risk.

• If your existing landscaping consists of hardscape features that are difficult to move such as concrete, masonry, wooden edging, low-height retaining walls, decorative light stands, fences, etc., please contact the City’s project manager (undersigned below) as soon as possible to discuss in further detail. As stated above, the City will not replace, or reimburse costs for, any private hardscaping in the City-owned boulevard that is left in place and damaged during construction. However, depending on the specific items/locations and anticipated construction impacts, the City may be able to assist in removing or relocating (to private property) these features as part of the road reconstruction work.

The policies above apply to landscaping/hardscaping and do not apply to paths of travel needed for access to the property. Driveways, walkways and other hard surfaced paths of travel from private to public property will be re-instated as close as practicable to existing conditions after construction.