Major infrastructure project will impact Mississauga now and in future

Motorists, pedestrians and those who use public transit are being advised of several impacts over the next couple of years as a major infrastructure project moves forward near Lake Ontario in Mississauga.

Peel Region officials overseeing the Lakeshore Trunk Sewer and Watermain Project said in an update on Tuesday the northern section of Marina Park, its parking lot and the sidewalk on the east side of Front Street North will be closed until fall 2028 as crews have set up a construction site at the park, which sits on the west bank of the Credit River just north of Lakeshore Road West.

In addition, the MiWay bus stop at that location, on the east side of Front Street North, has been moved a short distance north of the construction zone, the region said.

In what’s described by Peel officials as a multi-year project, work crews are building a new large sanitary sewer and installing watermain along Lakeshore Road from Jack Darling Memorial Park in the west to Elmwood Avenue in the east (see map below). Work began last October.

A new sanitary sewer on Wesley Avenue, from Park Street to Lakeshore Road West, and replacement of a section of watermain on Lakeshore Road West, between Ibar Way and Shawnmarr Road, are also part of the huge project.

Map shows area where sewer and watermain work is being completed on Lakeshore Road in Mississauga. (Source: Peel Region)

In their update this week, region officials said the Front Street North/Lakeshore Road West construction compound “will be an important working area for the project and will be used to dig tunnels and install the new large trunk sewer and watermain on Lakeshore Road West.”

They added the construction site will be active from as early as July 28 until fall 2028.

“We understand construction can be disruptive, and we appreciate your patience as we work to improve our community’s infrastructure,” the region said in its latest construction update. “This work both maintains and improves Peel’s world-class water systems, allowing us to provide safe drinking water and reliable wastewater services to support a thriving community for life.”

(Source: Peel Region)

Meanwhile, tunnel-digging crews got busy well beneath the surface of Lakeshore Road last week. The subterranean work got underway on July 20 in the area of Jack Darling Memorial Park, where a shaft — or tunnel access point — has been dug to a depth of 45 metres.

From that spot, a tunnel-boring machine will work its way eastward, underground, for a distance of about four kilometres as part of the large sanitary sewer project.

“This multi-year construction project is a necessary investment that will support the long-term needs of the community” and provide a number of benefits, Peel officials said in an earlier project update.

Project leaders noted that when the work is completed, residents and businesses will experience many benefits.

The upside, according to project leaders, includes the following:

• Ready for growth — Larger pipes mean the system can easily support new homes and businesses in south Peel.
• Better flow — Water and sewage will move through the system more smoothly and efficiently.
• Reliable service — Ensures a steady, high-quality water supply for homes and businesses, with fewer interruptions.
• A stronger system — New infrastructure is more durable and less likely to break or fail during storms.
• Cost savings — By replacing seven old pumping stations with this new gravity-based sewer pipe, Peel saves money on expensive long-term operations and maintenance costs.

A look from above at part of Lakeshore Road in Mississauga. (Photo: Peel Region)

As work moves forward, Peel officials said area residents, businesses and drivers can also expect other impacts that include lane reductions on Lakeshore Road West, temporary road closures and detours, temporary closures of municipal parking lots (Elmwood Avenue North, Wesley Avenue and Front Street North), relocation of bus stops and sidewalk detours.

Construction along the entire corridor, which also includes other smaller projects, is expected to continue until late 2029, the region said earlier.

For more information on the project, and related projects in the area, check out a video presentation from a Peel Region open house held in April.