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South Regina residents fed up with water main work

Bernie Zaharik has called Regina's Shannon Road home for almost 50 years.

He says he has never experienced a construction project like the one he and his neighbours have been dealing with since June.

That month, the City of Regina started work to reline water pipe on approximately three blocks of Shannon Road, with crews installing temporary lines and digging out pits.

"There would be days that there would be nobody working here and then the next day, there would be five or six working and then nobody working," he explained, saying as a result, residents have had to live for months with a street under construction.

Trent Peppler/CBC
Trent Peppler/CBC

"It just took way too long."

Residents reported watching as water was left to pool near the curb and seeing the hoses spring leaks. As fall arrived, they were told to leave a tap running in order to avoid pipes freezing, which did happen to some households.

Frustrations peaked when a city bus was rerouted to travel down Shannon Road during construction.

"The whole thing needs better coordination," said resident Ryan Dusselier.

"The left hand needs to talk to the right at the city. The residents deserve better than this."

Trent Peppler/CBC
Trent Peppler/CBC

In an emailed response, a city spokesperson said during freezing conditions, it is sometimes necessary to run a "thin stream of water" to prevent frozen pipes.

The spokesperson said the city is reviewing how to avoid water from pooling in low-lying areas. The city will also look at the schedule overlap that saw traffic rerouted to the street during construction.

"We know this caused frustration for the residents and we take their feedback very seriously. We are reviewing our scheduling for the upcoming season to reduce this kind of project overlap," the statement read.

When it comes to the schedule of the work itself, the city spokesperson indicated that work was slowed because multiple water main projects are underway at the same time.

The city says the work requires specialized equipment that needs to be transported between sites, causing crews to work intermittently "although the contractor is working steadily at the different locations throughout the project period."

Cleanup is now underway on Shannon Road.

According to the city, the completion date of the work is Oct. 31.