Get ready for delays on Ottawa's busiest road this weekend.
A section of Highway 417 will be closed in both directions at Kirkwood Avenue from 6pm Saturday night to 11am Sunday morning.
More than 100 workers will be using state of the art technology to lift, move, and replace the Kirkwood Avenue bridges.
“The structures are over 50 years old, time for a replacement,” said Victor Lafrance, contract services administrator with Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation.
Crews will use rapid bridge replacement technology.
The same process was used on the Carling Avenue eastbound bridge two years ago, and on Island Park back in 2007.
That means instead of replacing a bridge in stages, a new one will be moved into place in less than a day.
“There’s a specific criteria for rapid replacement projects. This is a perfect candidate for that technology,” said Lafrance.
The Kirkwood Avenue bridges will be replaced in 17 hours. Without the new technology, it would take two to three years.
During the closure, eastbound traffic will take the Carling Avenue exit, follow Carling Avenue westbound, and then take the Queensway westbound on-ramp.
Eastbound traffic will also take the Carling Avenue exit, and then take the Queensway eastbound on-ramp at Kirkwood Avenue.
A similar process will repeat itself next weekend, when the Carling Avenue westbound bridge is set to be replaced.
The Queensway will be closed eastbound and westbound at Carling Avenye from 6pm Saturday July 13 to 11am on July 14.
CTV's Vanessa Lee will have a full report on CTV News at Six.
