Ottawa·NewOttawa’s city councillors are hearing from fed-up residents about traffic delays caused by ongoing construction. Chair of committee anticipates more challenges to comeListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesLong-lasting work on major highways, more workers commuting to the office and more people in the city in general are contributing to traffic problems, according to a city councillor leading a committee dealing with transportation. (Radio-Canada)Miral Vyas feels like Ottawa’s rush-hour traffic has gone from bad to worse.“When I see the GPS, it’s always heavy,” he said.It takes him about an hour each way to drive between downtown and Stittsville on Highway 417.“I work three days from the office, so about six hours of my productive time just goes into [my] commute,” he said.Nick Groulx’s trip can be even longer, and it leaves him feeling distressed.“Yesterday, it took me an hour and a half to get back to Orléans,” he said on Thursday.“It seems like a waste of time. It makes for a long day.” There is a perfect storm. You’re not imagining it.- Tim TierneyBeacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney, who chairs Ottawa’s public works and infrastructure committee, said stories of bumper to bumper traffic and long delays are far too common.“There is a perfect storm. You’re not imagining it,” he said.“Between the provincial highway construction, between the back-to-work schedules and frankly, we have a larger population that is really traveling seven days a week now, you can see that the traffic isn’t restricted just to rush hour anymore.”Coun. Tim Tierney chairs the City of Ottawa’s public works and infrastructure committee. (Michel Aspirot/CBC)The provincial Ministry of Transportation has been finishing up multiple years of work to replace five overpasses on the 417. Recent lane and ramp closures have affected the area around Bronson Avenue atop long-lasting closures closer to Carling Avenue.That’s all supposed to be done by the end of the year.Tierney said the city needs to continue working with the provincial government to ensure that the work takes place when it’s least disruptive, including during the night.The city’s own construction work on the Line 1 light rail extensions is also playing a role, especially repeated lane and ramp closures on Highway 174 in the east and periodic closures of sections of the Kichi Zìbì Mìkan in the west.The Line 1 east extension to Trim Road is also expected to open this year.The Convent Glen light rail station at Highway 174 in east Ottawa under construction May 29, 2023. This photo was taken with a drone. (Raphael Tremblay/Radio-Canada)But even when this construction wraps up, Tierney isn’t counting on smooth commutes. He said the city needs a more radical solution: a ring road south of the city to reroute traffic from the 417.“I don’t foresee a day where the traffic will ever become light ever again, just based on our population growth,” he said. Ottawa estimated it had about 1.1 million residents at the end of 2024, up about 160,000 from the 2016 census. It’s forecast to hit 1.4 million around 2045.“Even with the construction being gone, I still think we’re going to have more challenges,” said Tierney.”You simply can’t add lanes in that one corridor and expect things to change. You’ve got to change the pattern completely.”City council did not elect to make a ring road one of their priorities for funding from higher levels of government this past summer.ABOUT THE AUTHORArthur White-Crummey is a reporter at CBC Ottawa. He has previously worked as a reporter in Saskatchewan covering the courts, city hall and the provincial legislature. You can reach him at arthur.white-crummey@cbc.ca.
Drivers frustrated by ‘perfect storm’ of traffic problems
