Small-scale tunnel boring project for new sewer now completed by City of Vancouver
Tunnel boring machines may be best associated with major railways and roads, and to a lesser extent, also major utilities and infrastructure like trunk water connections.
But there are also small-scale, short-length applications for its use, with the City of Vancouver recently completing a pilot project that used tunnel boring to build a concrete storm sewer main.
Earlier this fall, using a micro-tunnel boring machine, crews built the north-south sewer main directly beneath Memorial West Park’s main pedestrian pathway — running from the northern edge of the park at West 31st Avenue and the southern edge at West 33rd Avenue, a total length of roughly 200 metres. The specialized equipment is remote controlled.
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By boring underground, this removed the usual need to dig a large, open trench in the park, enabling the public space to remain open without closure, and preserving 24 mature trees. The tunnel boring method also reduced the impact on neighbouring residents and was shorter than the typical cut-and-cover trench method, according to the municipal government.
Fall 2025 tunnel boring for the new sewer main at Memorial West Park. (City of Vancouver)
Additionally, the project also included upgrading an existing combined sewer main in the area, with a smaller pipe inserted and fixed in place with grout inside this main. Such a trench-free repair and upgrade method is called “sliplining,” which is increasingly common to more easily extend the life of aging pipes without requiring extensive excavation.
More work still needs to be done in 2026, entailing completing the sliplining work to connect the new pipes to the water and sewer systems and installing new maintenance holes. The City states the park’s playground and pedestrian pathways will need to close for about three to four weeks to accommodate this work, with construction expected to reach completion in Spring 2026.
“We know that construction can be frustrating and disruptive, so we are always looking for better ways to complete core infrastructure work,” said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim in a statement today.
“The successful tunnel installation shows that this innovative trenchless method has the potential to work well for future utility projects.”
Tunnel boring is, of course, commonly used in this region to build underground segments of SkyTrain projects, including the Canada Line in downtown Vancouver, and part of the Millennium Line’s Evergreen and Broadway extensions.
Over the decades, Metro Vancouver Regional District has also deployed a number of tunnel boring projects to complete major water supply tunnels, including most recently the Annacis Water Supply Tunnel under the Fraser River between New Westminster and Surrey.
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