Queensway closure continues with paving delay
Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Jul 06, 2020 • Last Updated 18 minutes ago • 5 minute read
The Queensway remained closed between Carling and Bronson avenues Monday morning as crews finish paving the new bridges over the CPR and O-Train Trillium Line that were installed in a weekend.
The closure started Thursday evening and was supposed to wrap up at 6 a.m. Monday.
City hall was told that the new bridges are in place but there were “unforseen challenges” over the weekend and that the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario’s contractor is “working hard” to get it done.
The Ottawa Paramedic Service warned that it affects access to the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in case of emergency.
There’s a
livestream to watch the project unfold from a birds-eye view.
The new single-span bridges are shorter to give the City of Ottawa room to for the O-Train track, a future twinned railway track, the existing Trillium multi-use pathway on the east side of the tracks and potential for a future MUP on the west side.
A total of eight drivers have now been charged with driving on the closed section of the Queensway, the OPP said. The ticket will cost them $110 and three demerit points.
Westbound traffic must exit the highway at Bronson Avenue and follow a signed detour:
- Continue westbound on Catherine Street
- Continue onto Raymond Street
- Turn left on Booth Street
- Turn right on Carling Avenue
- Take Highway 417 westbound on-ramp from Carling Avenue
Eastbound motorists must exit the highway at Carling and Kirkwood avenues and follow the detour:
- Continue eastbound on Carling Avenue
- Turn left on Bronson Avenue
- Turn right on Chamberlain Avenue
- Continue onto Isabella Street
- Take Highway 417 eastbound on-ramp at Metcalfe Street
Orangeville Street will also be closed between Rochester Street and Booth Street during the Queensway closure.
Meanwhile, expect eight-minute waits on O-Train Line 1 as the city is allowing the contractors to only run seven trains on the 12.5-kilometre line while they investigate the cause of wheel defects discovered on three single train cars.
Until the cause is identified, Alstom and Rideau Transit Maintenance will be inspecting each wheel on every train each time the vehicle is used in service.
An eighth train will be available as a “hot spare” in case one of the seven in-service trains malfunctions.
Ridership is still low because of COVID-19 closures, which is why the city authorized the smaller train count for daily service while the contractor investigates the wheel defects.
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