A look at road closures, O-Train shutdown planned in Ottawa this weekend
Commuters will need to plan their route ahead of time this weekend while attempting to travel around Ottawa, as road closures, construction and the shutdown of light-rail transit will create significant traffic challenges.
A section of the Queensway is closed between Metcalfe and Carling/Kirkwood avenues for construction, the O-Train will be out of service after 8 p.m. all weekend and several roads are closed for construction or active transportation use.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at road closures and service disruptions around Ottawa this weekend.
QUEENSWAY
A five-kilometre section of the Queensway is closed this weekend while crews replace the Booth Street Bridge.
Hwy. 417 is closed between Metcalfe and the Carling/Kirkwood avenues, with traffic being diverted onto Catherine Street, Bronson Avenue, Carling Avenue and Chamberlain/Isabella.
Here is a look at the detours for motorists travelling eastbound and westbound this weekend.
Westbound
- Motorists travelling westbound will exit at the Metcalfe off-ramp
- Travel westbound on Catherine Street
- Turn left on Bronson Avenue and travel southbound
- Turn right on Carling Avenue and travel westbound
- Take Highway 417 westbound on-ramp from Carling Avenue
Eastbound
- Eastbound motorists must exit the highway at Carling/Kirkwood Avenue
- Drive eastbound on Carling Avenue
- Turn left on Bronson Avenue
- Travel northbound to Chamberlain Avenue and turn right
- Continue onto Isabella Street
- Take Highway 417 eastbound on-ramp at Metcalfe Street
O-TRAIN
The O-Train will be out of service after 8 p.m. all weekend for maintenance work.
OC Transpo says the full line will be closed starting at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
R1 replacement bus service will run the full line, matching regular train frequency.
In a memo to council on Friday, OC Transpo general manager Renee Amilcar said Red Vest staff will be present across the system and stationed at key areas to assist customers during the O-Train shutdown.
Amilcar says an alternative R1 routing plan has been created should there be significant delays due to the Hwy. 417 closure between Carling and Metcalfe.
More information is available at octranspo.com.
SLATER STREET
Slater Street is closed this weekend from Bronson Avenue to Bay Street as part of the Albert/Queen/Slater/Bronson reconstruction project.
Slater Street will be closed from 9 a.m. on Friday until 10 p.m. on Sunday.
The city says motorists, cyclists and OC Transpo buses will be detoured via Laurier Avenue and Bay Street.
QUEEN ELIZABETH DRIVEWAY
Queen Elizabeth Driveway is closed to vehicles all weekend between Somerset Street and Fifth Avenue.
The road on the west side of the Rideau Canal is open for active use only.
SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD PARKWAY
The westbound lanes of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway will be closed to vehicles on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the NCC's Weekend Bikedays.
The SJAM will be closed from Vimy Place to Carling Avenue.
SIR GEORGE-ETIENNE CARTIER PARKWAY
Both lanes of the Sir George-Etienne Cartier Parkway are closed to vehicles between the Aviation Parkway and St. Joseph Boulevard.
The road is closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
CHAUDIERE CROSSING
The Chaudiere Crossing connecting Ottawa and Gatineau is closed from 8 p.m. Friday to Sunday at 6 p.m.
The bridge will be temporarily open to Gatineau-bound traffic for four hours on Saturday (7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.)
No vehicular traffic will be permitted on the bridge.
WELLINGTON STREET
Wellington Street remains closed to vehicle traffic between Elgin Street and Bank Street.
Motorists can use Queen Street to move through the area.
OTHER TRAFFIC DISRUPTIONS
- Westbound Hwy. 174 off-ramps to northbound and southbound Montreal Road will be closed from 10 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.
- The northbound Montreal Road on-ramp to westbound Highway 174 is expected to be closed from 10 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday
- Montreal Road will be closed under the overpass of Hwy. 174 from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.