FORT ST. JOHN -- Construction on the Fort St. John Bulk Water Station has gotten underway.

The station was closed on July 3rd, 2024, to begin reconstruction work of its parking lot.

In an update posted on the city's social media pages, the city is providing transparency on the progression of the repaving project.

The move to shut down the station has garnered pushback from residents and local businesses.

Crews are removing the existing asphalt and subbase, while continuing to work on removing the existing materials to install a drainage ditch, and replace the existing culverts.

Once the materials are removed, the crew will then begin rebuilding the subbase for the eventual repaving.

Following the announcement of the closure, CJDC-TV spoke to Dan Rea, the owner of P&J Water Service.

Rea said there should have been consultation with industry before construction began.

"We're going to try our best to keep up, but I’m sure we are going to fall behind during this-- there's not enough loading stations for every truck in this town,” said Rea.

The city has promised to work with the contractor to expedite the project with a goal of reducing the closure time from 19 to 14 days.

A multi-use trail in the area around the water station is also closed during construction currently slated to wrap up July 22nd.