Congestion on Highway 417 in downtown Ottawa has alleviated as a prolonged construction project nears completion. Since 2021, Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and Kiewit-Dufferin Midtown Partnership have been working on replacing five aging overpasses in the area. Additionally, enhancements to highway walls and adjustments to the Bronson Avenue ramps have been undertaken. These efforts led to lane closures on the 417 from Island Park Drive to Kent Street since late summer 2021, reducing the highway to three lanes.
As of Monday morning, motorists observed the reopening of the lanes after more than four years of construction. Some final touches are still required, as per an email from an MTO spokesperson on Monday. These include ongoing night and weekend work in the area, as well as the closure of the eastbound Bronson off-ramp until Dec. 20 and the westbound Lyon Street on-ramp until Jan. 1.
The MTO announced that the next bridges scheduled for replacement are those spanning the Rideau Canal and Main, Elgin, and Metcalfe streets, with the canal bridge set for replacement in 2029.
For a visual insight into one of the rapid bridge replacement projects, a time-lapse video of the Bronson overpass installation is available. Recently, a segment of Highway 417 in central Ottawa was temporarily closed while crews worked on installing a prefabricated bridge over Bronson Avenue.