Beltline Downtown Utility Relocation Project (Third-party Shallow Utilities)

October 1, 2024

Stations: Eau Claire, 7 Avenue S.W., Centre Street S., 4 Street S.E.

Status: Current

Type: Utilities

ENMAX maintenance hole crane lift at 6 Avenue and 2 Street S.W.

The Beltline Downtown Utility Relocation program involving third-party shallow utilities (fibre, electricity, gas, etc.) began in September 2022 and wrapped up in October 2024. This work was completed by various third-party utility companies, including ENMAX, TELUS, Bell, Zayo, Calgary District Heating, Rogers/Shaw and ATCO Gas.

Calgary Built: The Green Line LRT – Episode 1: ENMAX Maintenance Hole Installation

Green Line wants to take you behind the scenes to the big and small construction projects that are all part of building Calgary’s next LRT line. Have you ever wondered about those circular plates in the road and, even more interesting, what is down there? We break down the installation of a maintenance hole by ENMAX.

Map of Beltline Downtown Utility Relocation work in relation to downtown stations.

Start Date: September 2020
Completion Date: October 2024

Construction partners

Construction details

Prior to tunnelling and building the stations, we must remove potential utility conflicts, which involves moving the existing underground utilities to other locations. By doing this work now, it makes the tunnelling process quicker and reduces risk to the project.

All shallow utility work, which consists of utilities less than 1.5 metres deep, must be completed by the third-party utility company, as set out in The City of Calgary’s Municipal Rights-of-Way Bylaw.

This work was happening across downtown along the Phase 1 Green Line alignment, from Eau Claire south along 2 Street S.E. to 11 Avenue S.E. and then east along 11 Avenue into Victoria Park.

Construction workers installing duct bank and concrete casing in a maintenance hole in downtown Calgary.

Underneath the streets of downtown Calgary are all kinds of utility lines, such as water, natural gas, and electricity. Before we could build the Green Line tunnel under the Beltline and Downtown, we needed to relocate existing underground utilities.

This work was a significant investment in infrastructure renewal. New relocated utilities can accommodate increases in population expected in this area in the future. Upgrades in infrastructure included:

1,280 metres of new watermains in Beltline East
1,000 metres of new sanitary pipe in Beltline East
855 metres of new road
670 metres of sidewalk improvements
515 metres of new pathway

Full Map

Downtown

Timeline: Summer 2022 to October 2024

To make way for the Green Line stations and tunnel under 2 Street S.W., extensive work was completed to move utilities away from 2 Street and into adjacent streets and avenues.
Some modifications were made to nearby buildings so the new utility infrastructure could be connected into them.
Impacts included closures of intersections, roads, lanes, pathways and sidewalks, on-street parking removal, cycle track closures, bus stop relocations, congestion and traffic delays.

Map of Downtown Calgary with an outline boundary where utility work will occur within.

Beltline West

Timeline: Summer 2022 to 2024

To make way for the Green Line station and tunnel under 11 Avenue S.W., we relocated/realigned existing third-party utilities from 11 Avenue S.W. into adjacent streets, avenues and alleyways.
Some modifications were made to nearby buildings so the new utility infrastructure could be connected into them.
Impacts included the loss of on-street parking, lane closures and cycle track detours.

Map of Beltline West with an outline boundary where utility work will occur within.

Beltline East

Beltline East (Culture + Entertainment District)

To make way for the Green Line station and tunnel under 11 Avenue S.E., we relocated existing utility infrastructure (storm and sanitary trunk and water feeder main) from 11 Avenue and 6 Street S.E. into Olympic Way and 12 Avenue S.E.
New utility infrastructure is an important investment in the Culture + Entertainment District, which is under development to become a hub for arts, sports and culture, with new residential, office and commercial development.

Other construction work in this area:

The Culture + Entertainment District is under construction, with more than $600M in city-building projects led by CMLC underway in the area, including the BMO Centre expansion, the 17 Ave S.E. Extension and Station Rebuild Project, Stampede Trail Redevelopment, and more to begin this year. Calgary Stampede’s construction of the SAM Centre is also underway within the area.
View the Culture + Entertainment District access map to see road closures and other construction impacts in the area.