Section of Queen Elizabeth Driveway closing to vehicles this summer

A section of Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be open to active transportation users 24 hours a day, seven days a week this summer, as the NCC expands options for cyclists, runners and rollerbladers.

The National Capital Commission has unveiled plans to close Queen Elizabeth Driveway, the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and the Sir George-Etienne Cartier Parkway to vehicle traffic through the summer.

The NCC says Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be open for active users from Fifth Avenue to Somerset Street on weekends from May 14 to June 25.  The road will be open for runners, cyclists, rollerbladers and walkers from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Starting Canada Day, Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be closed to motor vehicles and open from active users 24 hours a day, seven days a week between Fifth Avenue and Somerset Street. The road will be closed to vehicles until Labour Day.

Last summer, the NCC closed a section of Colonel By Drive for active transportation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In 2020, a section of Queen Elizabeth Drive was closed daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Starting May 14, the parkways will be closed to vehicles and open for active transportation users during the following periods:

Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
• Both westbound lanes of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, located on the south side of the Ottawa River just west of the downtown core, from Vimy Place to Carling Avenue.

Sir George-Etienne Cartier Parkway

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Both lanes of the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway, running along the south side of the Ottawa River, just east of the downtown core, between the Aviation Parkway and St. Joseph Boulevard in Orléans