One of Ottawa’s major downtown roads has been reduced to one lane, as Rideau Street renewal begins a new stage on Sunday.
Rideau Street’s eastbound lanes from Dalhousie Street to King Edward Avenue are closed for construction, with traffic detoured one block south to Besserer Street.
Westbound lanes on that stretch will remain open for now, before eventually being re-routed to Murray Street.
The closures have some residents worried about traffic delays in areas that can't handle them.
"There's going to be a lot of traffic," said Hussein Najem. "You have the Quebec buses, taxis . . . it's gonna be pretty bad."
Another potential problem could be if traffic gets backed up to the Nicholas Street ramp for the Queensway.
The city says sidewalks, water and sewer systems, signage and cycling infrastructure will all be upgraded on the major route to Quebec.
Construction is scheduled to last until October 10, with businesses staying open throughout the process.
"It's going to slow things down for sure," said one business owner.
"There's really going to be chaos down there," said another.
Information on bus detours can be found on OC Transpo’s website.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefanie Masotti
