After ongoing research, consultation, and analysis and evaluation of possible alternatives, the project
team determined that constructing a tunnel from the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge to Highway 417 is feasible.
The Cross Country alternative was deemed the ‘most feasible alternative’ (see Figure 2) for the following
reasons:
• The alignment results in a high geometric standard;
• The alignment has minimal to no impact development on adjacent development;
• Anticipated impacts at portals can be mitigated; and
• There appears to be opportunities to modify / refine the design to improve the performance of the
solution
This Cross Country alternative connects the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge with the Vanier Parkway
interchange to Highway 417. It runs in a south-easterly direction under the neighbourhoods of Lowertown
and Sandy Hill, before running parallel to the Rideau River and eventually crossing the River to connect
to the Vanier Parkway.
Cost estimates prepared as part of this study provide an indicative cost to design and construct a twin
bore, four-lane facility connecting the south end of the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge to the Highway 417 /
Vanier interchange via a cross-country route. Parametric costs for various items were developed. Soft
costs for design, engineering management and oversight were added, and a range of contingency costs
applied. The likely project cost, with a low and high contingency range, is $1.7 to $2 billion ($2015).