Montreal Road Revitalization

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Project limits

The project limits for Montreal Road are North River Road to St. Laurent Boulevard for a total distance of 2 kilometres. In addition to the Montreal Road corridor, the project includes reconstruction of North River Road from Montreal Road to the North River Road cul-de-sac for a total distance of 560 metres length.

Key plan [ PDF - 377 KB ]

Landscape roll plan [ PDF - 6 MB ]

Project description

The City of Ottawa has completed the 18-month long detail design phase of the Montreal Road corridor and construction began in June 2019.

The ultimate vision for Montreal Road is to construct a vibrant and welcoming main street with a well-balanced transportation network that will allow residents and businesses to thrive. To achieve this vision, some of the following aboveground and underground improvements are proposed:

• Construct a three-lane cross section between Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard that includes two eastbound lanes, one westbound lane and cycling tracks/lanes in both directions.
• Bury overhead Hydro lines between North River Road and L’Eglise Street.
• Implement streetscaping features along Montreal Road, including but not limited to new street furniture, streetlights, trees, concrete sidewalks and paver stones.
• Review and improve bus stop and bus shelter locations.
• Replace the existing watermain between North River Road and St. Laurent Boulevard.
• Replace sanitary and storm sewers along certain sections of Montreal Road.

As part of the Montreal Road project, the 560 metre long section of North River Road (north of Montreal Road) is planned for reconstruction. The proposed works include replacement of the watermain, sanitary sewers and road drainage modifications.

Project timing

Project construction began in June 2019 with underground utility work. A general summary of the construction timelines and project staging are as follows:

• Year 1 (2019) – Construction of underground Hydro Ottawa conduits and other utility work on Montreal Road between North River Road and de L’Eglise Street.
• Year 2 (2020) – Continued utility work as well as watermain and sewer construction on Montreal Road and North River Road (Montreal Road to north cul-de-sac). Completed road and underground work along Montreal Road between North River Road and the Vanier Parkway.
• Year 3 (2021) – Continued underground watermain, sewer and surface works (sidewalk, cycle track and road) on Montreal Road between the Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard. By Year 3, most surface works will be completed between North River Road and Lafontaine Avenue.
• Year 4 (2022) – Complete underground sewer and surface works (sidewalk, cycle track and road) up to St. Laurent Boulevard. Complete landscape and streetscape work as well as final lift of asphalt pavement on Montreal Road. The project is scheduled for completion in late fall 2022.

The above timelines and sequence of work may change as the work progresses along Montreal Road.

Project budget

The City is making a significant investment to renew Montreal Road and North River Road (estimated at $64 million) with funding authority identified as part of the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 capital budgets.

Public engagement

Some examples of public engagement for the project have included:

• Public information sessions – first public information session was held in April 2018. The second public information session was held on May 13, 2019.
• Meetings with the Vanier Community Association and Quartier Vanier BIA to provide project updates, receive feedback and answer questions.
• Working group meetings with members from the Vanier Community Association and Quartier Vanier BIA with the purpose of obtaining input on specific issues involving significant design decisions.
• Project newsletter (monthly to date, may be more frequent as construction ramps up).
• Regular communication with individual business owners and residents affected by the proposed improvements.

Contact information

For further information, please contact the project team or alternatively, the City Project Manager:

Mario Kotowski, P.Eng.
Senior Engineer, Infrastructure Projects
Design and Construction Municipal Branch
Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department
City of Ottawa
Tel: 613-580-2424, ext. 26075

Pedestrian access to local businesses and private properties will be maintained throughout the construction period. Montreal Road businesses remain open. For more information on how to support Montreal Road businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit the Vanier BIA website.

Montreal Road will be reopening on Sunday, December 19 to single lane westbound and eastbound traffic between Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard. Access to Montreal Road from all side streets, except for Savard Avenue, will reopen. OC Transpo Route 12 will continue to operate as a frequent service between Blair station and St. Laurent Station, Route 15 will be adjusted to operate on Montreal Road between Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard, and Route 20 will have its regular routing reinstated for winter service. The route changes will be in place until Sunday, April 17, 2022.

Traffic impacts

The Montreal Road Revitalization Traffic Impacts map indicates the detour route and required side street road closures. Pedestrian access to local businesses and private properties will be maintained throughout the duration of the detour.

Transit detour

Beginning on Sunday, December 19 2021, OC Transpo routes 12, 15 and 20 will be modified as illustrated in the Montreal Road Revitalization Transit Impacts map:

• Route 12 - To provide a faster connection to O-Train Line 1, for customers travelling downtown, Route 12 will temporarily operate between St. Laurent and Blair stations seven days a week. Customers wishing to travel through Vanier can transfer to Route 15 at stops at St. Laurent Boulevard and Montréal Road. Route 12 school trips will operate on Route 15 and new Routes 615 and 616.
• Route 15 will be detoured through and around the construction zone and rerouted onto Montreal Road between the Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard. Weekday daytime trips will travel between Blair Station and Montréal Road using Bathgate Drive and Den Haag Drive with service to Parliament Station and Gatineau. Weekday evening and all weekend trips will travel between Blair Station and Montréal Road using Blair Road and will end at Parliament Station.
• Route 20 will have its regular routing reinstated for winter service period.
• Route 14 will maintain its current routing, but customers can expect longer travel times.
• Routes 7, 9, 17, 18 and 19 will not be impacted. Detour adjustments may be required to accommodate construction.

For more information about transit routes, please visit octranspo.com.

Several side street closures are required and the exact timing of them are communicated in our weekly email to stakeholders. If you wish to receive weekly updates, please email us at montrealroad@ottawa.ca. Local access on closed side streets is provided to residents and businesses, however, no access is permitted from Montreal Road at the side street closures. 

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 accommodations, please contact the project team listed below. Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request, at the following link: www.ottawa.ca/accessibleformat.

On-street parking and local access (Vanier Parkway to St. Laurent Boulevard)

During construction and the duration of the eastbound Montreal Road detour, on-street parking will be prohibited along Montreal Road between the Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard. Various side street closures will also be required with side street access permitted in the westbound direction only at Olmstead Street, Marier Avenue, Lafontaine Street, Granville Street and Cantin Street. Lajoie Street, St. Anne Avenue, Ducharme Boulevard and de l’ Eglise Street will be closed when works occurs in the intersection. Access to/from existing driveways will be maintained along Montreal Road in the westbound direction only. Periodically an existing driveway/access may be closed while the contractor undertakes work fronting your property. The contractor is required to provide 24-hour notification of temporary loss of access/egress to your property.

Montreal Road between North River Road and the Vanier Parkway will continue to operate as a two-way road with some parking restrictions as work progresses along this section of road.

Construction disruptions

The contractor will take every precaution to minimize interruptions to the everyday life of your family and/or operation of your business, but, as you can appreciate, there will be inconvenience during the course of the work, such as loss of parking, traffic delays, 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 for your patience and co-operation.

Temporary water services

During the replacement of the watermain, water will be supplied to buildings by temporary water lines. While your property will be on this temporary service, your water usage will be estimated as the temporary service is not metered. Your water bill will be based on the past average water usage for your address. If you have any questions, please contact Revenue at 613-580-2444 or WSBilling.

Municipal fire suppression will continue during the construction period. Please note that private fire suppression systems may be impacted. Temporary water is provided for domestic consumption purposes only. If you have a private fire suppression system, it is recommended that you make arrangements with a fire protection services company in order to determine the extent of any impact. For information on minimizing your fire risk, contact the City’s Fire Services at 613-580-2424 ext. 15371 (East) or ext. 15372 (West).

We apologize in advance for any disruptions in water service during construction. Any problems with the temporary water services can be directed to the City’s on-site representative, or call the City of Ottawa at 3-1-1 in the evenings or weekends.

COVID-19

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. 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.

Construction on Montreal Road is winding down for the year and preparations have begun for winter conditions. A substantial amount of underground and above ground work was completed along Montreal Road this year. Some of the highlights for 2021 that have visibly transformed Montreal Road include:

• North River Road to Vanier Parkway (400 metres): Overhead Hydro Ottawa powerlines and poles were removed between North River Road and Palace Street in November. The pole removal allows for a wider unimpeded sidewalk and a significant aesthetical improvement of this section of Montreal Road.
• Vanier Parkway/Montreal Road intersection – All four quadrants of the intersection have now been reconstructed including the removal of the channelized right turns on the Vanier Parkway. The complete streets intersection design now provides for shorter pedestrian crossings, large pedestrian refuge areas and dedicated cycling facilities that will be opened in late fall 2022.
• Vanier Parkway to Lafontaine Avenue (800 metres) – This urban section of Montreal Road was transformed this year from the preconstruction four lane cross-section to a new three-lane configuration. The removal of one eastbound lane allows for raised cycle tracks and wider sidewalks. The majority of work is completed along this segment including concrete sidewalk, cycle track, paver stones, traffic lights and tree soil cells. Unfinished sidewalk, landscaping and streetscaping will be completed next year.
• Emond Street and Bradley Street Plazas – The paver stone and hard landscaping at both plazas was completed late this year, providing a significantly improved look and feel to these dead-end side streets. Outstanding work includes the concrete feather inlays and concrete blocks on Bradley that will be completed next year along with landscaping at both plazas.
• Lafontaine Avenue to St Laurent Boulevard (800 metres) – The focus on this tail end of the Montreal Road project was completion of new underground infrastructure including watermain, storm and sanitary sewers. On the north side from Lafontaine Avenue to east of Cantin Street, the curb, sidewalk and cycle track was also finished late this year.

2022 Scheduled Construction (April 2022 to November 2022):

Work will restart in April 2022 and Montreal Road will be reduced back to one westbound lane between the Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard. Some modifications to the current vehicle and transit detours will be required to accommodate the work. Details on the eastbound detour will be provided in early in 2022.

A substantial amount of work is scheduled for 2022 including:

• Completion of the Montreal Road/North River Road intersection
• Road, curbs, sidewalks and cycle tracks from Lafontaine Avenue to St Laurent Boulevard
• Underground water, sewer and sanitary at Montreal Road/Cantin Street intersection
• Hydro Pole removal from Ste-Anne Avenue to de l'Église Street
• Landscaping, street furniture and bus shelters from North River Road to St Laurent Boulevard
• Remaining streetlights and traffic lights from North River Road to St Laurent Boulevard
• Complete Emond Street, Bradley Avenue and Dupuis Street Plazas
• Final asphalt lift along Montreal Road, North River Road and Vanier Parkway overlay
• North River Road traffic calming (four speed humps and pedestrian crossovers)

Over time, deposits can accumulate inside pipes and whenever work is performed on watermains or fire hydrants, scale or sediment can be disrupted resulting on discoloured water.

If the water in your cold water tap or toilet tank is rusty, yellow, or discoloured, this indicates the presence of iron, sometimes found in areas that are supplied by cast iron water mains. This discolouration is usually caused by nearby construction. Sudden changes in flow can disturb rust or iron sediment within older water mains. This is a fairly common occurrence and is normally solved by City staff flushing the water main through a hydrant. Please note that these low levels of iron, while not aesthetically pleasing, do not pose a health concern.

If you observe “rusty” water, flush your cold water tap for several minutes until it runs clear. We recommend that you do not drink or wash laundry with discoloured water. If the issue persists for more than a few hours, call 3-1-1 to arrange for a site visit.

If you have any questions, please contact the City at 3-1-1, info-water@ottawa.ca or visit the City’s website at ottawa.ca.

Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated and we apologize for any inconvenience.