Transitway transformation: Nightmare on Nicholas Street
Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 20, 2016 | Last Updated: April 20, 2016 5:27 PM EDT
An already clogged stretch of Nicholas Street between Highway 417 and Laurier Avenue could get considerably worse once the city closes a key Transitway station at the University of Ottawa on Sunday, rerouting hundreds of buses a day onto Nicholas and reducing cars coming off the highway to just a single lane.
It’s a big step forward in the construction of the $2.1-billion Confederation LRT line, now entering its fourth year. But it could come at a heavy price for motorists stuck in gridlock traffic.
The changes, outlined Wednesday at a city hall technical briefing, will allow for the closure of the Transitway between Lees and Campus stations, and will be in place for more than two years — until the opening of the Confederation Line in 2018.
Traffic delays will hit Queen Street, Rideau Street and Main Street this season, but the city is flagging Nicholas Street as the stretch most likely to be hit hardest.
“This is certainly one that will have the most significant impact,” Alain Gonthier, head of asset management, said during the briefing.
Buses and regular traffic will share both southbound lanes on Nicholas, with a special bus-only lane beginning at the Highway 417 eastbound on-ramp. But northbound between Highway 417 and Laurier Avenue will be reduced to one lane of general traffic and one bus-only lane.
The city is asking drivers to stay out of bus lanes and give buses priority.
And because traffic volumes are expected to be much higher, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours, the city is advising drivers to avoid the area if possible and use alternate highways exits and entrances.
Drivers’ pain and inconvenience will be shared by pedestrians and cyclists. The tunnel underneath Nicholas Street and the Transitway, which is used heavily by those travelling between the campus, Sandy Hill and the west side of the Rideau Canal, will close from May 2 to Aug. 22 as crews tear down the Transitway bridge and reconfigure an adjacent plaza as part of construction of the new uOttawa LRT station.
Elsewhere in the city, major construction projects slated for Ottawa roads this summer include:
- Queen Street: Westbound lanes between Bay and Metcalfe streets will be closed starting Sunday until winter 2017. The closure is required for the Queen Street streetscaping works. A single lane will be open for eastbound traffic only; westbound drivers should use Albert Street
- Main Street reconstruction and the rehabilitation of the McIlraith Bridge: Starting in May and ending summer 2017, the work zone for a major project that began last year will be extended southward from Clegg Street to Riverdale Avenue. Northbound lanes on Main will be fully closed and detoured to Bank Street
- Lyon Street: Reconstruction along part of this southbound link to the 417 will result in the closure of Lyon, as well as McLeod Street, from May to the fall
- Elgin Street: The $110.5-million facelift at the National Arts Centre is forcing the closure of one northbound traffic lane on Elgin, as well as sidewalks and crosswalks, through to the fall
- Rideau Street: Closed to most vehicles between Sussex Drive and Dalhousie Street until 2018 (when LRT opens)
Compared to the traffic crunches of past construction seasons, transportation chair Keith Egli said, “this is kind of crunchier.” The city wants to get major road work done this year before Ottawa hosts Canada’s 150th celebrations in 2017, Egli said.
Outside of the core, road widening projects are scheduled for Greenbank, Mer Bleue and Tenth Line, while ongoing construction of a new pump station and forcemain in Kanata will create lane reductions on Terry Fox Drive, Maple Grove Road and Katimavik Road.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation will be resurfacing stretches of the 417, fixing noise barriers and doing repairs at five west-end highway overpasses.
While all of this work happens above ground, crews will continue to dig the LRT tunnel underneath downtown, which the city expects to be fully excavated by the end of the summer.
The city will also start work on the combined sewage and storage tunnel, the final phase of the Ottawa River Action Plan. Once the contract has been awarded, construction will begin on Kent and Chamberlain streets later this year.
The closure of Campus station means most OC Transpo buses will use Nicholas to get to Laurier station, bypassing Campus and Lees stations. But some routes — 16, 85, 95, 98 and 97 (after 10 p.m.) — will use King Edward and Laurier.
The upper level of Lees station will remain open.
All westbound express bus trips in the afternoon will start at Mackenzie Bridge station.
Closing Campus station is also timed with other seasonal schedule changes.
OC Transpo is reducing the frequency of Trillium line O-Train service on weekdays, after 9 p.m. and on Sundays to match reduced ridership levels.
In a bid to save money, the bus service is also cutting some early morning and late night trips on the following routes: 16, 93, 94, 98, 99, 111, 112, 114, 116, 120, 121, 122, 128, 130, 131, 132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 143, 144, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 170, 172, 173, 175, 176, 177, 182, 189, 193.
The final stretch of the Transitway — between Tunney’s Pasture and Merton Street — will close June 24.
A new ramp will open to connect the Transitway trench and the upper level of Tunney’s Pasture station (the lower level will be torn down). Buses travelling in and out of downtown will use Scott and Albert streets, adding at least another minute to travel times under normal traffic conditions, according to OC Transpo.
The city says it’s spending $210 million this year to fix up existing infrastructure and another $132 million on new and improved infrastructure, such as roads, cycling pathways and sidewalks.
The city will also spend $35 million resurfacing 150 kilometres of roadway this year.
— With files from Jon Willing
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