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Boulevard and Pavement Excavation FAQ's Cut Administration / Restoration | Engineering Division Home |
The Technology Services Branch coordinates the restoration of all utility excavations on City Property.
The City of Winnipeg experiences approximately 4500 excavations within the street right of way each year. Excavations are made by utilities, private contractors, and city forces either to repair existing plant or to install new infrastructure. When an excavation is made a permit is obtained and the funds to pay for the permanent restoration are assessed to the permitee in accordance with fee schedules set out in the Streets By-law No. 1481/77. Excavations made by contractors engaged by the City to install or renew infrastructure are restored under their respective construction contracts and are not included as part of excavation permit process.
- Someone has dug a hole on the City property in front of my home. Why was this done?
- When can I expect the excavation to be permanently restored?
- The excavation was left in, or is now in, an unsafe condition. Who do I contact?
- Who will be restoring the excavation?
- There are damages on City property beyond the excavation. Will these be rectified?
- I am selling my home / having a wedding at my home / etc. Can my excavation be given preferential consideration?
- My personal property was damaged as a result of an excavation. Who do I contact?
- The excavation has not been completed by the date that the Public Works Department advised it would be. What should I do?
- My boulevard excavation has been filled with topsoil. Will sod be placed? When?
- My boulevard restoration has been completed but it doesn’t appear to be growing properly. What can I expect to be done about this?
- My boulevard restoration has been completed, why doesn’t it match the surrounding grass?
- A restored excavation has now settled. Who should I notify?
Someone has dug a hole on the City property in front of my home. Why was this done?
Utilities, private contractors, and city forces make excavations either to repair existing plant or to install new infrastructure.
When can I expect the excavation to be permanently restored?
A Public Works customer services representative at 204-986-5018 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM) can provide you with a tentative completion date provided that your excavation has been scheduled for restoration. If your excavation has not been scheduled you may wish to review the section subtitled “Scheduling” to learn more about how excavations are scheduled.
Note: The restoration of excavations made on private property is strictly between the property owner and the person who made excavator.
The excavation was left in, or is now in, an unsafe condition. Who do I contact?
If you received a notice from the City’s Water & Waste Department when the excavation was made you should contact their Customer Services Division at 311. Otherwise call the Public Works Customer Services Division at 204-986-5018 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM).
Who will be restoring the excavation?
Currently boulevard and pavement restorations (roads, sidewalks, lanes) are done by separate entities, this being the private sector and public forces respectively. If an excavation encompasses both a paved area and a boulevard area, the paved area will be restored first.
There are damages on City property beyond the excavation. Will these be rectified?
Where it is clearly evident that damages to grassed and/or paved areas are a result of the excavation, the limits of the restoration may be expanded to include the damaged area.
The limits of the restoration are normally marked with paint prior to restoration commencing. If you are in disagreement with the limits contact the Public Works Customer Services Division at 204-986-5018 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM).
The corporations that order the excavations pay for excavation restorations, therefore damages on City property that existed prior to the excavation are normally not considered as part of the restoration. Where restorations are being done using City forces, previously existing damages are sometimes included utilizing funds budgeted for maintenance work at the discretion of the foreman.
I am selling my home / having a wedding at my home / etc. Can my excavation be given preferential consideration?
No. Although we sympathize with your concerns, moving a crew to a special location to complete a restoration out of the scheduled order can result in the restoration of numerous other excavations being unjustifiably delayed. If you absolutely cannot wait to have your restoration completed a Customer Services Representative at 204-986-5018 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM) can refer you to administrative personnel to discuss other options.
My personal property was damaged as a result of an excavation. Who do I contact?
If you know who made the excavation or what utility the excavation was made for, you can contact them directly. If you know that the excavation was made by City forces for water or sewer works you should contact the Water and Waste Customer Services Division at 311. Alternatively you should contact the Public Works Customer Services Division at 204-986-5018 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM).
The excavation has not been completed by the date that the Public Works Department advised it would be. What should I do?
If no work has been commenced contact the Customer Services Division at 204-986-5018 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM).
If some of the restoration work has been completed but the sod remains to be placed, the delay may be caused by circumstances beyond the City’s control, e.g. significant amounts of recent precipitation. Some patience in these circumstances is appreciated.
My boulevard excavation has been filled with topsoil. Will sod be placed? When?
The restoration of most boulevards is a three-step process:
- The excavation is trimmed to a uniform shape (normally rectangular), and backfill material is removed or applied to achieve proper grade.
- The excavated area is filled with topsoil.
- The area has sod applied. Note: this may follow step 2 by 1-2 weeks as it is common practice to perform the sod operation only when there are a large number of excavations ready for the sod.
Where the condition of the existing boulevard surrounding the excavation is poor, topsoil and seeding may be considered as an acceptable method of completing the restoration.
My boulevard restoration has been completed but it doesn’t appear to be growing properly. What can I expect to be done about this?
All areas where sod has been placed or which have been seeded are subject to a 30-day maintenance period. At the end of the maintenance period the City inspects the restorations for acceptance. Observed deficiencies are corrected at the expense of the contractor and remain the responsibility of the contractor until the deficiencies have been corrected to the satisfaction of the City.
My boulevard restoration has been completed, why doesn’t it match the surrounding grass?
The sod used to restore the excavation can be composed of different blends of cultivars than the existing surrounding boulevard. Over time this will become less apparent and the new sod will gradually blend in.
Please keep in mind that although we strive to provide high quality restorations, it is extremely difficult to have the restoration look similar to the surrounding area immediately, especially if your boulevard is very well manicured and groomed. Generally, it can take several months of growth for the new turf to fully establish itself and mature.
A restored excavation has now settled. Who should I notify?
Settled restorations should be referred to Public Works Customer Services Division at 204-986-5018 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM).
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Last update: 17.02.2012
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