Repairs to the water main which caused the outdoor water ban in south Ottawa have been moved up, and traffic is affected.
Starting Saturday, there will be lane and speed reductions on the two-kilometre stretch of Woodroffe Avenue from Slack Road to Knoxdale Road.
On Monday, May 9, the southbound lanes of that section of Woodroffe will be closed and traffic re-directed to the northbound lanes. There will be a single lane in each direction, and turning restrictions in effect.
Ajay Bhandari, owner of a Quizno's restaurant just off Woodroffe, said the changes will add 30 to 40 minutes to his commute from Orleans.
"It's going to be a big nuisance," he said. "Traffic going back and forth is going to be a big pain."
In both cases, the City of Ottawa said public transit will not be affected. They said they encourage residents to use alternate routes and alternate transportation, which includes OC Transpo.
They said they will be monitoring ridership on those buses throughout the construction.
These repairs were moved a week ahead following public outcry from the water ban, and some citizens are taking issue with how quickly the ban was placed on them.
"We didn't get any notice, I mean we had the record rainfall in the month of April and they tell us now?" said one resident. "We could have been saving the rain water all month."
The city said the ban was put in place April 27 so the Woodroffe water main could be replaced while maintaining safe drinking water.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Melissa Lamb
