What you need to know about the Hwy. 417 closure this weekend
Ottawa motorists face one more day of detours and traffic gridlock around the Queensway, as construction nears an end on Hwy. 417 at Bronson Avenue.
The highway through the central part of Ottawa is closed this weekend while construction crews replace the aging Bronson Avenue overpass. The Queensway is closed eastbound between Carling/Kirkwood and Metcalfe and westbound between Metcalfe/Catherine and Rochester.
On Saturday night, the new bridge structure was in place, and construction crews continued work to finalize the installation of the overpass and pave the road ahead of the scheduled reopening. The road is expected to reopen in time for the Monday morning commute.
The closure of a section of the Queensway comes during a busy weekend in Ottawa, including the final weekend of RBC Ottawa Bluesfest at LeBreton Flats, the HOPE Volleyball Tournament on Saturday at Mooney's Bay and football, soccer and rugby games at TD Place.
In addition to the Queensway closure, the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway is closed from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. for RBC Ottawa Bluesfest, and there is construction on interprovincial bridges.
There were no reports of serious delays on roads around Ottawa on Saturday. People going to RBC Ottawa Bluesfest said the commute didn't take any longer since they planned ahead.
Traffic headaches abound Friday
Motorists reported gridlock on several roads into and out of the downtown core Friday, as the closure of a stretch of Hwy. 417 for construction diverts traffic onto major and arterial roads in Ottawa.
There were lengthy delays on the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, Carling Avenue, Catherine Street and several east-west roads as they looked for an alternate way through the city.
"It's really bad," one driver said. "I've been sitting in traffic for probably like 45 minutes now to get 10 kilometres, so it's not great."
One driver told CTV News Ottawa it took more than an hour to travel from the west end to the downtown core, before they gave up and went home.
"I'm a bit worried because I'm late," said another driver.
"I was stuck on Island Park for like an hour,"a driver said.
Residents living near the Queensway report seeing an increased level of traffic since the highway closure.
"When there's a problem on the Queensway, we seem to pay for it," area resident Alan Freeman said.
"We do tend to get some non-residential traffic, but this is really extraordinary. It is backing up all the way down the block."
The Queensway is scheduled to reopen at 6 a.m. on Monday.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at what you need to know about the Highway 417 closure at Bronson Avenue this weekend.
Construction continues on the Bronson Avenue bridge along the Queensway. A section of Hwy. 417 is closed until Monday at 6 a.m. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
What
Construction crews will be replacing the Bronson Avenue bridge along the Queensway this weekend. The highway will be closed eastbound between Carling/Kirkwood and Metcalfe and westbound between Metcalfe/Catherine and Rochester.
It's the latest in a series of projects to replace overpasses along the Queensway through Ottawa.
When
The section of Hwy. 417 will be closed from 8 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. on Monday.
Lane reductions and ramp closures are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Live video of the replacement
A live video feed of the bridge replacement is available on YouTube. Click here to watch.
Construction crews remove the Bronson Avenue overpass along the Queensway. A section of Hwy. 417 is closed until Monday morning due to the construction. (CEECAM Corporation/YouTube)
These on-ramps will be closed
The city of Ottawa says the following on-ramps will be closed on the Queensway this weekend due to the bridge replacement:
- O’Connor westbound
- Lyon westbound (ongoing)
- Bronson westbound
- Maitland eastbound
- Carling eastbound
- Parkdale eastbound
Detours
These are the detours on the Queensway during the construction this weekend.
Westbound detour
- Westbound motorists exit the highway at Metcalfe/Catherine
- Continue westbound on Catherine Street
- Continue onto Raymond Street
- Take the Highway 417 Rochester westbound access ramp
A look at the westbound detour for the Hwy. 417 closure in Ottawa this weekend. (City of Ottawa)
Eastbound detour
- Eastbound motorists exit the highway at Carling/Kirkwood
- Continue eastbound on Carling Avenue
- Turn left on Bronson Avenue
- Turn right on Chamberlain Avenue
- Continue onto Isabella Street
- Take the Highway 417 Metcalfe eastbound access ramp
A look at the eastbound detour for the Hwy. 417 closure in Ottawa this weekend. (City of Ottawa)
Bronson Avenue
Bronson Avenue under the Queensway is closed to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists for three weeks as part of the construction project.
Bronson is closed between Catherine and Chamberlain until July 27.
The contractor recommends cyclists and pedestrians use Percy Street as a detour around the Bronson Avenue closure.
Queen Elizabeth Driveway
The National Capital Commission is suspending its Queen Elizabeth Driveway Active Use Program this weekend due to events at TD Place and Lansdowne.
The NCC says the Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be open to vehicles on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
Events at TD Place this weekend include the World Rugby Pacific Fours women's tournament on Friday, the Redblacks game Saturday afternoon and Atletico Ottawa on Sunday.
Optional routes
Motorists looking to travel east-west this weekend due to the Queensway closure can take the following roads:
- Hunt Club Road
- Baseline Road/Heron Road
- Carling Avenue
- Riverside Drive (between Hunt Club Road and Hwy. 417)
- Walkley Road (from Riverside Drive to Highway 417)
Other road closures/construction in the city of Ottawa
- The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway will be closed nightly from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. between Vimy Place and Parkdale Avenue for RBC Ottawa Bluesfest.
- The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway will be closed to vehicles from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
- The Sir George-Etienne Cartier Parkway will be closed to vehicles from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
- Colonel By Drive northbound closed between Clegg and Hawthorne due to construction
- The northbound lanes of the Portage Bridge are reduced to two lanes this weekend due to construction
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Dave Charbonneau
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