Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill to reopen Friday

Wellington Street will reopen to vehicles in front of Parliament Hill on Friday, 455 days after it closed at the start of the 'Freedom Convoy' demonstration.

Transportation Committee chair Tim Tierney tells Newstalk 580 CFRA's The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll that staff will be putting the finishing touches on the road on Thursday.

"Let's not delay it another two months, let's open it tomorrow – so Friday, Wellington will actually be open to traffic," Tierney said Thursday.

Wellington Street has been closed to vehicle traffic between Elgin and Bank streets since January 2022, when the 'Freedom Convoy' arrived in downtown Ottawa to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures. In February, council voted to reopen the street to vehicle traffic as soon as it was feasible.

Over the past two weeks, staff have installed new traffic signals, created a new bike lane along Wellington Street and repainted traffic lines.

"It's a very exciting time; it's taken a lot of effort by our traffic department," Tierney said. "There's been some hurdles, people trying to throw in road blocks, go figure, but that being said tomorrow will be the day."

In a memo to council, Traffic Services Director Phil Landry said Wellington Street will reopen to vehicles Friday afternoon, and staff will continue to work in the area over the next few weeks.

"A new temporary bike lane with flex posts separating the bike lane and the single traffic lane will be in place in each direction at that time," Landry said.

"Over the next few weeks, Traffic Services will complete the installation of green thermoplastic material in certain areas along Wellington Street to demarcate bus stops, loading zones and accesses. As well, green supersharrows will be installed on the approach and egress of the bike lane. "

Tierney says it took time to prepare the street for reopening, including reinstalling light standards and adding bike lanes.

"The citizens get their street returned to them and we're pretty excited about that," Tierney said.

Cycling advocates have raised concerns about the new bike lanes on Wellington Street, saying they aren't planned well and end suddenly at right-turn lanes at Elgin Street and Bank Street.

"This layout shows we prioritize car traffic, not people biking," said Florence Lehmann with Bike Ottawa.

The advocacy group has been pushing to keep Wellington Street closed to vehicles.

"We want to see a protected bike lane with concrete curbs that separate you from motorized traffic. This is safer than flex post," said Lehmann.

Earlier this month, the minister who oversees the Parliamentary Precinct wrote a letter to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, offering to buy the section of Wellington Street with the goal of keeping it permanently closed.

"The objective of this agreement would be to address the immediate security imperative by maintaining the current road closure, while providing the City and the federal government time to establish a fair deal and launch planning activities," Public Works and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek said.

Despite the federal government's proposal, Sutcliffe said the city remains committed to reopening the street.

"We're open to having discussion with the federal government about the future of Wellington Street, as we have always been," he told CTV News on April 14. "But, in the meantime, we took the decision to reopen Wellington Street, and we're going to reopen it in the coming weeks."

Jaczek's office says they are "disappointed" the city is moving ahead with plans to open Wellington Street.

"Although we are disappointed, we respect the City of Ottawa’s decision to reopen Wellington Street to vehicles," the office of the Minister of Public Services and Procurement said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

"Nonetheless, we will continue to work productively and collaboratively with the City, and other key stakeholders, on a path forward for Wellington Street that creates a safe and welcoming environment for visitors, employees and representatives in Canada’s parliamentary precinct."

Tierney told CTV News Ottawa on Thursday that the reopening of the street will accelerate the talks between the city and federal government on the future of Wellington.

"It’s the city of Ottawa’s street. They will come to the table and have a good discussion about it but this was the best move for the citizens of Ottawa at this point. If the federal government does wish to take over that sector and make some kind of Parliamentary District that they speak of, they better come with a big cheque," Tierney says.

"We have to have lots of discussions on traffic patterns and figure out what streets are going to be open to pedestrian access or vehicle access. Those are all discussions that will have to take place. I predict it’s going to go very quickly now."

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Jackie Perez