Roads/Bridges projects/issues

[OTownandDown]

WHY are the westbound lanes subjected to 'left lane closed' and zipper merging, when the eastbound lanes get a simple shift to the right with no merge?

Westbound is an absolute disaster, WTF people. And 2.5 months for a SIGN? I've seen people working out there ONCE in these last two weeks. How hard is it to dig a pier, pour it, put the median back on the same pour, and get the hell out of there?

I can't believe there aren't pitchforks, the way traffic backs up from Pinecrest to downtown!

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

WHY are the westbound lanes subjected to 'left lane closed' and zipper merging, when the eastbound lanes get a simple shift to the right with no merge?

Westbound is an absolute disaster, WTF people. And 2.5 months for a SIGN? I've seen people working out there ONCE in these last two weeks. How hard is it to dig a pier, pour it, put the median back on the same pour, and get the hell out of there?

I can't believe there aren't pitchforks, the way traffic backs up from Pinecrest to downtown!

On the EB, the Pinecrest SB to 417 EB lane ramp was closed to allow the acceleration lane to be reallocated as a shifted through lane. To do that WB, you would have to close the ramp from the Transitway which would have a significant impact to transit operations. They did re-stripe at Pinecrest though - there are still 3 lanes past the lane closure, where before there were two.

[J.OT13]

Ottawa looks to improve lighting, pedestrian infrastructure at access points to ByWard Market, downtown area

By Josh Pringle, CTV Ottawa
Published: May 25, 2026 at 6:57AM EDT



The City of Ottawa is looking to improve lighting, public safety and pedestrian movement in two main access points to the ByWard Market and the downtown area.

A report for Wednesday’s council meeting outlines 12 possible projects using $10 million initially allocated to turn William Street into a pedestrian plaza, including improvements to the Rideau Station and Rideau Street corridor and the Rideau-Sussex underpass, and transforming underutilized plazas into flexible public gathering spaces.

In January 2025, the city entered into an agreement with the Ontario government to support economic revitalization in the ByWard Market and downtown areas, with $10 million allocated to a streetscaping project for William Street and ByWard Market Square.

After council voted in March to defer the William Street construction project, staff worked with the province to reallocate the funding to support other city priorities in the ByWard Market and broader down.

Staff are proposing the funding be allocated towards two priority areas - safety and security and “vibrancy to attract residents and visitors.” The report says the proposed projects will improve public safety, accessibility, and the “overall visitor experience.”

“Proposed projects include gateway improvements, community safety and outreach initiatives, seasonal placemaking and programming, accessibility upgrades, district branding, branding, navigation and wayfinding improvements, and activations associated with the ByWard Market’s 200th anniversary in 2027,” staff said.


The report notes the proposed project list exceeds the $10 million funding envelope in order to “provide flexibility for provincial review and approval.” The funding must be spent by the end of March 2027.

The proposals include $920,000 for improvements to the Rideau Station and Rideau Street corridor, which is the primary access point to the ByWard Market from the O-Train and the Rideau Centre.

“Improvements will focus on pedestrian movement, safety and accessibility through streetscape, lighting and pedestrian infrastructure enhancements within and around Rideau Station and along Rideau Street,” staff said.

“The initiative will also introduce coordinated arrival experience features and destination-branding elements designed to create a more vibrant, memorable and welcoming gateway into the district.”

The report said ideas include gateway signage, animated lighting, banners, street furniture and branded wayfinding.

Staff are also recommending $300,000 for improvements to the Rideau-Sussex underpass.

“This initiative focuses on improving the Rideau–Sussex underpass as a critical gateway into the ByWard Market through targeted lighting, maintenance and placemaking improvements intended to improve safety, accessibility and the resident and visitor experience,” staff said.

“The project responds to longstanding concerns regarding the condition and perception of the underpass and is intended to create a safer and more welcoming entry point into the ByWard Market and surrounding area.”

Other proposals

Safety and security

• $2.5 million for security staffing support for organizations serving complex clients. Staff say it will maintain security support for organizations serving clients with “complex needs” in the ByWard Market and downtown area.
• $200,000 for Shepherds of Good Hope/Canadian Mental Health Association – Dual Client Support Model
• $200,000 for the Ottawa Public Health needle and drug equipment collection program.
• $500,000 for unsheltered homelessness outreach and connections to safe spaces

Vibrancy to attract residents and visitors

• $4.230 million for “Best of ByWard” Four-Season Placemaking Initiative. Staff say it would “transform underutilized plazas and portions of ByWard Market Square into flexible public gathering spaces.”
• $850,000 for district-wide navigation, access and parking strategy.
• $500,000 for a Brand and Place Identity Plan
• $700,000 for Historic Market Building Illumination Exhibition
• $500,000 for the Metcalfe Plaza Project
• $500,000 for the Savour ByWard Market – Farm to Table Experience. Staff say this is a “signature culinary experience showcasing local farmers, artisan producers and regional food and beverage offerings” as art of the ByWard Market‘s 200th anniversary
• $500,000 for “ByWard Under the Lights: Celebrating 200 years

Staff said that, since the $12.4 million in proposals exceeds the $10 million provincial funding envelope, the final decisions on whether the projects proceed will be made by the Ontario government.

“The Ontario–Ottawa Agreement also identifies specific expenditure categories that are not eligible for provincial funding, including bicycle infrastructure, tree planting and planters, public art installations, public washrooms, vehicles and certain hospitality-related expenses,” staff said.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ot...s-points-to-byward-market-downtown-area/

[Richard Eade]

In other words; Ask the Province to help pay for a worthwhile project – then arbitrarily defer that project, and switch the money to a bunch of cosmetic and subjective ideas to fritter away the funds – never to have money again for that initial worthwhile project.

Of course, this all stems from the City dithering about actually doing something meaningful about the By-Ward Market. The current ‘plan’ to tear down a parking structure and replace it with an arts & craft building needs work. The removal of parking spaces is crazy, if The Market is supposed to attract customers from the entire region. Creating a Food Hall/Court may be helpful, in some respects, but is it enough of a draw to pull people from Orleans and Kanata downtown? I think that the City needs to think BIGGER.

A holistic plan needs to be created, with a vision of what The Market area will be like in 25 years. Seriously, adding more lighting to The Underpass is not likely to make it feel any safer for most people trying to get across the ramp and Colonel By. Then when they get into The Market area, they need to contend with all the traffic. And for what? A few stalls that they could probably find more local to their home on any Saturday?

I remember a time that the complaint about The Market area was that it was TOO CROWDED with revelers in the evenings/nights – so the City fixed that problem. It’s much less ‘lively’ at night now. But, hey, rebranding and way-finding signs will fix it again.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

In other words; Ask the Province to help pay for a worthwhile project – then arbitrarily defer that project, and switch the money to a bunch of cosmetic and subjective ideas to fritter away the funds – never to have money again for that initial worthwhile project.

Of course, this all stems from the City dithering about actually doing something meaningful about the By-Ward Market. The current ‘plan’ to tear down a parking structure and replace it with an arts & craft building needs work. The removal of parking spaces is crazy, if The Market is supposed to attract customers from the entire region. Creating a Food Hall/Court may be helpful, in some respects, but is it enough of a draw to pull people from Orleans and Kanata downtown? I think that the City needs to think BIGGER.

A holistic plan needs to be created, with a vision of what The Market area will be like in 25 years. Seriously, adding more lighting to The Underpass is not likely to make it feel any safer for most people trying to get across the ramp and Colonel By. Then when they get into The Market area, they need to contend with all the traffic. And for what? A few stalls that they could probably find more local to their home on any Saturday?

I remember a time that the complaint about The Market area was that it was TOO CROWDED with revelers in the evenings/nights – so the City fixed that problem. It’s much less ‘lively’ at night now. But, hey, rebranding and way-finding signs will fix it again.

Yeah, this is all just bandaids. Would have been nice to get at least one project from the Market Public Realm plan done by this year, the 200th.

I was in the Market last Friday during the day, and it was bustling. One dead street was William by the Market Building, with no one on the street and a couple pickups parked. The other side of the Market Building was closed to cars and full of people.

The whole Sutcliffe revisions of the Market Plan suck. Less pedestrian space, evict the majority of businesses in the Market Building for a Food Hall, as if the Market is missing food options, and a new art gallery to go with the several art galleries already in the area.

[eltodesukane]

And while we spend ~$400 million for a luxurious library,
we have homeless camping in front of the Bank of Canada Museum,
and scared tourists backing out of the Rideau Sussex underpass.

[urbanforest]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

And while we spend ~$400 million for a luxurious library,
we have homeless camping in front of the Bank of Canada Museum,
and scared tourists backing out of the Rideau Sussex underpass.

This city wastes an enormous amount of money on a lot of things, but the library isn’t one of them.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by urbanforest

This city wastes an enormous amount of money on a lot of things, but the library isn’t one of them.

Libraries are actually a pretty important resource for a lot of homeless people.

[rocketphish]

City takes steps to tackle Highway 417 traffic snarl
Lanes should reopen by July 6, three weeks ahead of schedule: memo

CBC News
Posted: May 25, 2026 7:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 25

The City of Ottawa says it will speed up construction work on Highway 417 west of downtown to finish three weeks earlier than scheduled.

In a memo to city councillors on Monday afternoon, rail construction program director Richard Holder said new measures should see traffic lanes open by July 6, instead of July 28.

Lane closures caused by work on the western expansion of Ottawa's light-rail transit system have been wreaking havoc on commutes.

"We recognize the inconvenience this has caused for commuters and nearby communities who have faced increases in cut-through traffic," Holder wrote.

Earlier this month, the city said some of the closures along the highway between Woodroffe Avenue and Greenbank Road are due to new Ministry of Transportation signage that's being installed.

That work is occurring in the highway median and is bundled with the nearby Stage 2 LRT expansion.

Holder said in the memo that crews have been told to accelerate the work by extending hours into evenings and weekends.

Over the weekend, the city opened up a westbound bus-only ramp at Woodroffe Avenue to vehicles.

The city is also "optimizing and adjusting traffic signal timing on arterial roads," adding new signage and looking at traffic calming measures, according to the memo.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/hi...est-greenbank-changes-timeline-9.7211801

[Truenorth00]

Why didn't they think of this before?

[Dengler Avenue]

^ Sutcliffe wants to be re-elected.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

^ Sutcliffe wants to be re-elected.

This city deserves everything it's going to get if he's re-elected.

[harls]

Why not make them work 24h/day and get it done sooner?

[yotajoe]

Originally Posted by harls

Why not make them work 24h/day and get it done sooner?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[harls]

Originally Posted by yotajoe

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Yeah but votes!

[Richard Eade]

Yup. Throwing money at the project will definitely get the concrete to cure faster.

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Yup. Throwing money at the project will definitely get the concrete to cure faster.

It doesn't take 8 weeks to get concrete to cure. THis project could have been a 2 week closure with better planning and round-the-clock construction. Instead, we are inconveniencing 140000 drivers daily in each direction. What other city would tolerate this???

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by AuxTown

It doesn't take 8 weeks to get concrete to cure. THis project could have been a 2 week closure with better planning and round-the-clock construction. Instead, we are inconveniencing 140000 drivers daily in each direction. What other city would tolerate this???

Well, sometimes Toronto closes DVP for runs.

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Well, sometimes Toronto closes DVP for runs.

Agreed. And Toronto is not a city I would want to emulate in terms of traffic management. I've been there when they close the Gardiner for a weekend on short notice and it's a nightmare. I'd take our little lane diversion any day! This is really small potatoes, but it goes to show 1) How bad our city/province is at project management 2) How little respect they have for people in our city and 3) How bad their communication is with the public. It took days for them to explain to the public what was even going on and still some people think this is "LRT Phase 2" construction and that there is a train going under the highway or something

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by Catenary

On the EB, the Pinecrest SB to 417 EB lane ramp was closed to allow the acceleration lane to be reallocated as a shifted through lane. To do that WB, you would have to close the ramp from the Transitway which would have a significant impact to transit operations. They did re-stripe at Pinecrest though - there are still 3 lanes past the lane closure, where before there were two.

Do you mean the Queensway station on-ramp? The one that's been taken over by regular traffic? It's connected to the Pinecrest exit ramp via a very long extra lane. What I'm arguing for is to drastically shorten the on-ramp to the bare minimum, then shift the through-lanes. I know it's complicated and requires re-painting everything (perhaps) but unacceptable to just have traffic backed up all the way through downtown every single day just for a goddam sign. Government bureaucracy sprinkled with project managers and a dash of 'design by committee' in Toronto is a nightmare for no reason.