A tunnel could be the solution to getting transport trucks off of downtown streets.
The city released the results of a feasibility study on Wednesday, which found that a tunnel is possible. It would stretch 3.4 kilometres from the Macdonald-Cartier bridge to the 417 at Vanier and Riverside.
"It's the one issue that keeps me awake at night," says Ottawa-Vanier councillor Mathieu Fleury.
Fleury says safety concerns are his top priority, citing the dangerous intersection at Rideau and Waller St. Many pedestrians have been struck by trucks making their way through the downtown core.
The study found that the tunnel needs to be available to all traffic, not just trucks. If it's built, it will take 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles off of downtown streets every day.
The other big question is cost. The study estimates the price tag at any where between $1.7 and $2 billion. Fleury says the Ministry of Transportation could be mostly responsible for connecting a 400-series highway to an interprovincial bridge. He adds the city would also approach the federal government.
The public will have a chance to comment on the study. It will head to Transportation Committee in three weeks, before moving on to council. If funding gets put in place and environmental assessments can be done, Fleury is optimistic construction could start before 2020.
