Caroline Grech

A boring machine stuck deep underground in mud, in a section of the region’s sewer projects, will not affect future development in Vaughan, according to the region’s project manager.

In early May, a boring machine being used to excavate tunnels became stuck after soil poured into the tunnel, forcing workers to abandon it.

They were working on the Bathurst and Langstaff Trunk sewer project, one of many projects that comprise big pipe projects across the region.

While the project is delayed as a result, regional project manager Tomislav Hrkac said a one-year delay is a conservative estimate, but added it has yet to impact any future development in the city.

“We’re not stopping pre-sale of homes,” Mr. Hrkac said.

The region has also hired a firm to look at ways to mitigate the impact.

As of Thursday, no final cost of the incident had been determined, Mr. Hrkac said.

The controversial big pipe project is meant to provide more sewage capacity to burgeoning York Region and in some municipalities the wait for construction has caused restrictions on development.

In Richmond Hill, for example, completion of the 19th Avenue sewer project is critical for more growth in the town.

Right now, the town is experiencing only two percent of the four-per cent growth they normally have, while waiting for more sewer capacity to be created.

For now, the Bathurst and Langstaff project continues with workers starting from the opposite end, using a boring machine to attempt to complete work on another section of the big pipe project.

The machine, which is almost identical, is starting at another end and dig its way to where the original boring machine is, which should be removed by then, Mr. Hrkac said.

The trapped machine incident is being investigated to find the cause, but Mr. Hrkac said there is nothing in the soil that was unexpected.

Local resident Michael Ophek didn’t know anything had happened, until he read it in the paper, adding it’s causing traffic problems.

This section of the sewer project was expected to be completed by November of this year.

- with files from David Fleischer