Since the Highway 417 construction and closures began near Angela Prescott’s Glabar Park neighbourhood, traffic congestion in the area is worse than ever.
“The exacerbation has been tenfold since the reduction on the highway. So we’ve seen a dramatic increase in backups in that area since they started the work,” said the Nepean resident, who is also the director of the Glabar Park Community Alliance.
Currently, there are both eastbound and westbound lane closures in place from Woodroffe to Pinecrest Avenue for construction work on the centre median near the Pinecrest overpass. Construction crews are also installing the foundation for an overhead sign for the Queensway, after the construction of a tunnel for the LRT extension disrupted the previous one.
According to the City of Ottawa’s website, there will be “other lane closures and ramp closures as needed during (this) work period,” which is expected to last another month.
Prescott said the alliance has since received numerous emails and complaints.
She’s also heard that parents are walking extra distances to avoid a few of the area’s more dangerous intersections, or opting to drive their kids to the nearby D. Roy Kennedy and Woodroffe Avenue public schools instead.
Though Prescott already drives her son to school, she said she wouldn’t be comfortable letting the eight year old walk that area by himself.
She said the highway construction is making an already bad situation worse. For close to a decade, Glabar Park residents have seen drivers cut through their neighbourhood to get from Carling to Woodroffe Avenue faster, she said.
This is most concerning on weekdays after 3 p.m., when D. Roy and Woodroffe let out their elementary students, who need to walk or drive through that area, said Prescott.
Right in front of D. Roy, at the intersection of Fairlawn and Lenester Avenue, there’s a sign telling drivers they can’t turn right on a red light between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., she explained, but it’s often ignored, making it both difficult and unsafe for young children to get home.
“It means that people can’t get to the school to pick up their kids, but most importantly, it means all of the kids that are trying to walk home really struggle, and that people can’t get in and out of their own neighbourhood,” said Prescott, who is also a former elementary school teacher at D. Roy.
There’s been some recent effort from the city to alleviate the concerns caused by the Queensway construction, like opening a previously bus-only lane to cars at the westbound 417 on-ramp at Woodroffe, and an increased police presence in the mornings, said Prescott.
But one day of ticketing won’t change things, Prescott said, adding that long-term action is necessary, like more crossing guards. Though she recognizes this might be difficult with already-strained school boards.
“I think the frustration that these cars feel in the traffic delays results in significant safety risks in the smaller communities — and that’s where my frustration lies,” Prescott said.
The city is trying to alleviate some of the pressure on neighbourhoods next to the Queensway.
In those neighbourhoods, there will be an adjustment of traffic signal timing on arterial roads to reduce congestion, as well as an increased police presence in peak periods, additional signage, and traffic calming measures like flex stakes, according to a May 25 memo from the city.
Though there will be a westbound lane reduction, an additional travel lane will be in place after the westbound on ramp at Woodroffe Avenue, the city says in an emailed news update, though it does not say for how long these measures will be in place.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he “spoke to the team at the City of Ottawa” and that these conversations are improving traffic, but it’s still not ideal.
“(I) asked them to improve the plan and get as many lanes open as quickly as possible, and also to improve the management of the situation in the short term while the construction continues,” Sutcliffe said.
In addition to the lane changes, the city also recommends a detour near the Pinecrest and Greenbank Road interchange, encouraging drivers to use Carling Avenue when heading eastbound to Woodroffe Avenue and getting on the highway there, instead.
There are route changes for pedestrians, too, who won’t be able to walk between Roman Avenue and OC Transpo’s Queensway station, and instead can pass through the Pinecrest Creek Pathway.
Bus goers won’t be able to access Queensway Station Stop 3A on Route 406 to Canadian Tire Centre during this work. The city says there will be alternative stops at Pinecrest Station and that stop #4099 (Queensway/Woodroffe) will still be running.
The city memo also gives information about ongoing work near the Pinecrest Road overpass in Nepean.
On behalf of the MTO, the city says its crews are currently installing a foundation for an overhead highway sign in the area as part of the LRT extension work that’s ongoing in the west end. According to the city, the construction of the LRT tunnel impacted the original sign.
Construction crews will also be working extended hours, in evenings and on weekends.
All this, the city says, is supposed to advance the completion and restoration of all traffic lanes from the original date of July 28 to July 6 through an “accelerated work schedule.”
