COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation and the City of Ottawa is committed to protecting people and the community. The Province of Ontario has allowed certain businesses and workplaces to reopen, including all municipal construction projects, as long as they comply with strict measures for public health and safe operations. In addition to the City’s ongoing work on critical infrastructure projects, we are now able to resume work on other construction projects that were paused due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The City is working closely with the industry and complying with restrictions and recommendations provided by municipal, provincial and federal health officials, as well as the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
Starting mid-September, the City of Ottawa will commence construction on the new watermains, and associated road and park rehabilitation work as part of the Manotick (Phase 1) and North Island Watermain Link project.
What: The proposed work includes the installation of new watermains.
Why: The purpose of the work is to install new watermains to the village of Manotick, providing increased capacity and reliability of service to the area.
When: This work is planned to start in mid-September 2020 and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2021. The schedule will be modified as needed, for example if weather affects the schedule, or if conditions change.
Where: Affected areas within the project limits, all or portions thereof, include:
- River Road from Solarium Avenue to Walter Upton-Collins Park
- Under the Rideau River from Walter Upton-Collin Park to David Bartlett Park
- David Bartlett park to McLean Crescent
- McLean Crescent from Driscoll Drive to Barnsdale Road
- Barnsdale Road from McLean Crescent to Rideau Valley Drive
Who: The City of Ottawa has retained the Contractor, R.W. Tomlinson Limited, to complete the work.
Accessibility
Accessibility is an important consideration for the City of Ottawa. The City makes every effort to provide access through and around construction sites. If you require special accommodation, please contact the undersigned. Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request,.
Traffic Impacts
Barnsdale Road, specifically the Barnsdale bride, is to be closed to through traffic between Rideau Valley Drive and McLean Crescent from October 1, 2020 until the end of the year. Access to private properties on Barnsdale Road will be maintained throughout the construction period. Notice will be provided prior construction in front of your residence.
Cycling and pedestrian access is expected to be maintained throughout construction. For instances where cycling and pedestrian access cannot be maintained on Barnsdale Road, cyclists and pedestrians will be detoured to Lockview Road and Beryl Gaffney Park, providing connectivity to Rideau Valley Drive.
OC Transpo Route 176 travels through the project; however, no impacts to the route and schedule are anticipated except for minor relocation of bus stops. Please visit https://www.octranspo.com for more information.
River Road, McLean Crescent, Rideau Valley Drive and Long Island Road will experience localized lane reductions during off-peak hours throughout the length of the project. Pedestrian and cycling access will be maintained where feasible.
Parks
To facilitate installation of the watermains under the Rideau River, both Walter Upton-Collins Park and David Bartlett Park will be closed to residents while construction is underway. Work is expected to commence October 2020. The length of the Park closures is dependant on the Contractor’s schedule and their staging plans; however, it is anticipated that the Parks will be able to open in 2021. Residents are requested to use Beryl Gaffney Park in the meantime, which is an off-leash dog park. Signage will be placed at the entrance of both parks.
Safety
During construction, it is our priority to ensure the safety of the public. Please stay clear of all construction equipment and open excavations. If applicable, please tell your children about the dangers of playing near a construction area.
Pre-Construction Survey
R.W. Tomlinson is assuming full responsibility for the construction work until the construction project is entirely completed. R.W. Tomlinson is also required by the City to carry liability insurance before any work may proceed. You may be asked by the contractor’s consultant, DST Consulting Engineers, for permission to survey your property before the work commences, as Contractors typically conduct pre-construction inspections to document existing conditions for their own purposes. It is to your benefit to allow the inspection to be conducted on your property, as it may assist with establishing the impact, if any, that construction has had at your property after work is complete. In addition, you may wish to complete your own survey of pre-construction conditions on your property. Your survey should include photographs.
Property Damage
As part of the contract, the contractor assumes full responsibility for the construction work until completion as well as for any damages to private property resulting from these construction activities. In the event of such occurrences, all claims for damages should be immediately reported both verbally and in writing to the contractor and to the City’s on-site Inspector. This will ensure prompt notification of appropriate authorities to complete the claim investigations.
Construction Disruptions
R.W. Tomlinson will take every precaution to minimize interruptions to the normal life of your family and/or operation of your business, but as you can appreciate, there may be some inconvenience during the course of the operation of the work, such as delays when travelling through the construction zone, noise and dust. You may also feel vibrations due to heavy equipment operations. Vibrations from construction activities are quite common and rarely cause any problems. We would like to thank you in advance for your patience and co-operation.
For construction activity hours of work, the City of Ottawa follows provincial requirements and the City’s Noise By-law (2017-255).
Contact Information
For any emergency outside normal working hours, please call the City at 3-1-1.
For general project information, please contact the City’s Project Manager.
For construction related questions or concerns, please contact the Contractor Representative.
City’s Project Manager:
Julie Lyons, P.Eng.
Senior Engineer, Infrastructure Projects
City of Ottawa
Tel.: 613-580-2424 ext. 13343
City’s On-Site Representative:
Mark Hoyles, Construction Technician
City of Ottawa
Cell: 613-701-4312
City’s Contract Administrator:
Toby Racine, P.Eng.
J. L. Richards & Associates Limited
Direct: 343-803-4548
Contractor’s Representative:
Michel Noel, Project Manager
R.W. Tomlinson Limited
Cell: 613-806-2307
