Hwy. 417, O-Train reopen following lengthy closures

Commuters will have an easier time moving around Ottawa today, with Highway 417 and the O-Train reopening after lengthy shutdowns.

Highway 417 between Carling Avenue and Metcalfe Street reopened to motorists overnight following the weekend closure to replace the Preston Street Bridge.  Motorists reported lengthy delays during the shutdown, as detours directed vehicles to Carling Avenue and Catherine Street.

Construction crews used rapid-bridge replacement technology to remove the aging structure just west of the downtown core and install a newly constructed overpass along the road. The highway was closed from 8 p.m. Thursday to early Monday morning. The highway reopened just before 1 a.m., five hours ahead of schedule.

Preston Street will remain closed between St. Anthony Street and Young Street until Aug. 6 for the construction.

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O-Train resumes service

Meantime, the O-Train is serving all stops along the Confederation Line today following the two-week maintenance shutdown between uOttawa and Tunney's Pasture stations.

"Regular O-Train Line 1 service has resumed!" OC Transpo said on X.

"The annual maintenance is now complete, and trains are running from Tunney's Pasture to Blair stations. We thank you for your patience."

Rideau Transit Group conducted annual maintenance on the line, including advancing "corrective measures" and "address deficiencies that have been identified" on the nearly five-year-old line.

The work included:

• Regular "planned maintenance, ensuring continued improvements in reliability and sustainability," OC Transpo says.
• Advance corrective actions
• Staff say activities will also include "continuation of work addressing water infiltration in the downtown tunnel and station leaks and drainage repairs and sump pump installation at Lyon and Parliament stations.
• There will also be cleaning of the glass above the tracks and public art work, along with concrete and tile repairs