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Transportation and Infrastructure report: March 2025

Submitted by Tom Scott, Chair

Greenfield-Main-Hawthorne (GMH) Reconstruction Project

Greenfield-Main-Hawthorne (GMH) Reconstruction Project is preparing for a renewed spring season after its winter shut-down since the week before Christmas.

The latest report to the Public Advisory Committee (PAC) and subsequent neighbourhood notifications are also available as separate emails. available on the website.

Ongoing updates and schedule adjustments (with a map) for the various phases of the project over the next two years can be found at the City’s GMH project web pages:

https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-engagement/projects/greenfield-avenue-
main-street-hawthorne-avenue-et-al-reconstruction-project

We continue to look for volunteers among our neighbours for the City’s process for identifying locations for replacement trees on private property, that is beyond the City’s right of way, within the GMH boundaries.

The aim is not only to replace trees that had to be removed during construction but also to enhance the Urban Canopy, especially after Emerald Ash Borer and Derecho impacts.

Two projects impacting OOECA neighbourhoods

OOECA has been asked to participate in 2 other projects about to get
underway that will have an impact on our neighbourhoods:

    1. The reconstruction project for Riverdale Avenue, for which our communication
      with their PAC team has been included on the website; active transportation
      enhancements are priorities
    2. The Bronson Complete Street project which is still in very early stages, but for which they are looking for lessons learned from Old Ottawa East for Main Complete Street project and for the ongoing GMH project; safety is a key community priority.

    MTO repair work to the 417 Rideau Canal Bridge eastern piers for westbound lanes

    MTO notified the President of its contractors undertaking upcoming repair work
    to the 417 Rideau Canal Bridge eastern piers for its westbound lanes. In June
    (!), we wrote to the MTO engineering team for clarification:

    • The objective of the project is to install temporary supports on the east
      pier of the westbound Highway 417 structure over the Rideau Canal. The
      temporary supports will remain in place until the bridge is replaced
      in the future.
    • On Colonel By Drive, short duration lane closures are anticipated. There
      are two National Capital Commission (NCC) multi-use pathways at this
      location (a lower path and an upper path); detours will be implemented
      for any closed pathway segments.

    [We also raised this project’s timing and impact with the GMH team
    members – see below.]

    This project, although somewhat behind in its originally announced schedule,
    appears to be now well underway, but the MUP access has also been limited by
    the NCC lighting improvements project – both MTO and NCC crews arriving
    during the peak of Winterlude.

    Files for continuing work this month

      • With detours again from King Edward, starting in April, the issue with
        pedestrian crossings along Lees Avenue, and notably not at controlled crossings,
        remains an ongoing concern with the very much increased volume on Lees due
        to detours from the Main/Greenfield one-way-direction restrictions.
        As we previously reported, uncontrolled pedestrian traffic appears to be arriving
        at a point near the LRT crossing point but just not quite. University of Ottawa
        traffic to its new facility also appears to arrive just off the established routes so
        we need to engage them too in any discussion. We had expressed this concern
        to the Councillor’s office but no one seems to get it: if you have to use this
        renewed GMH detour regularly, you will then see as many pedestrians, and some
        needing aid to walk, stepping off the curb in locations not protected by controlled
        crossings – and especially when buses arrive to load or unload passengers – as
        those who wait and use the signalized crossings. Further, vehicular traffic,
        frustrated by the diversions, are not also hospitable to jaywalkers as they try to
        speed around the blockages from GMH.
      • Spring brings back outdoor drug use and increased theft in our
        neighbourhoods, so already-known sites along the Nicholas on-ramp and MTO
        access areas will need to be continually monitored by OPS and OPP.
      • MTO Downtown Bridges (Rideau Canal, Main Street, Elgin Street and Metcalfe
        Street underpasses) Environmental Assessment and Transportation
        Environmental Study Report (TESR) has been deemed to be completed – next
        steps leading to final design and contract specifications.
      • Old Railway Bridge Heritage Designation