Highway 417 construction continues with more lane closures, infrastructure replacements and speed reductions across Ottawa.
The work is part of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s larger project that primarily involves replacing bridges that cross the highway at Bronson Avenue and Preston, Rochester, Booth and Percy streets.
The project uses Rapid Bridge Replacement technology, which means constructing a new bridge in a staging area, then demolishing and replacing old bridges during a temporary shutdown.
Work that began in 2021 had been expected to end in 2025.
However, on April 13, the MTO announced that work would begin again between Island Park Drive and Kent Street, according to its Highway 417 Bridge Replacements and Highway Improvements website.
In an emailed statement, Meaghan Evans, senior media-relations advisor at MTO, said construction on the mid-town bridges would take place primarily at night and on weekends, aiming to cause as little disruption as possible.
She added that, in the coming weeks, eastbound lanes of the highway between Carling Avenue and Rochester Street would be reduced and that Ottawa drivers should expect nightly ramp closures to allow for construction of a new 860-metre noise barrier.
This work would be in addition to the replacement of 4.5 kilometres of barriers, she wrote.
The project website says that the speed limit in the affected area between Carling and Rochester will be reduced to 80 km/h and that reopening of the off-ramps is planned for late summer.
It also says that the westbound on-ramp at Lyon Street will remain closed until spring 2026.
Aside from bridges and noise barriers, the project’s 2026 schedule promises more medians, asphalt paving, re-painting of lane markers and, finally, an end to construction.
This work, in addition to the current lane closures in Ottawa’s west end because of Stage 2 LRT construction, will add to existing congestion for drivers regardless of whether they’re heading east or west on the highway.
The MTO did not respond to a request for more details surrounding other work outlined in the 2026 schedule, such as lane painting, or about when the work was expected to end.
Residents can find closure updates on the City of Ottawa’s social-media platforms and on its website .
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