Light Rail Stage 2 Ramp Closures

The City of Ottawa held an information session on ramp closures in our area for Stage 2 of the Light Rail Project.

The full plan is available at O-Train West Extension Construction Activities | City of Ottawa

Here is a summary of key points impacting our neighbourhood:

• The westbound 417 on ramp from northbound Pinecrest will close from March to Nov 2021
• The westbound off ramp at Pinecrest will close from Fall 2021 to Summer 2023,  nearly 19 months.
• These will need to occur for trenching, laying track and rebuilding ramps. The city has identified detours that will be well signed.

 

While this will cause headaches for us all, here are some concerns that we should be aware of and monitor:

• With Pinecrest off ramp closed, traffic to IKEA is officially detoured to either Carling to the north or Baseline to the south. However, I think that we can all expect that many will take Iris and Baxter to access IKEA. This is will compounded by the fact that, during the Pinecrest ramp closure, Iris and Woodroffe will also be turned into the Transitway when the Iris to College stretch is closed. 
• In addition, there is the possibility that the pedestrian bridge from Baxter to Queensview station will also be under construction, further exacerbating issues on Iris. Staff were not sure of exact deadlines and will get back to us.