Construction season in Ottawa is officially underway. Public Works and Infrastructure Committee chair Coun. Tim Tierney kicked off the city’s summer construction season on Friday alongside Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, announcing more than $691 million worth of projects citywide. “Each year, the city manages over the average of 700 different infrastructure projects in this entire city. While we don’t like the construction, it has to be done to ensure our municipality continues to progress forward,” Tierney said. The spending this year includes, but is not limited to: “I hear from residents all the time that they want better roads and sidewalks, they want to see wider roads, they want to see traffic reduced, congestion reduced, so this is what we need to do,” said Sutcliffe. Some of the highlighted projects include a bridge renewal in Kinburn, the Greenbank Road realignment and Southwest Transitway extension, the Bank Street widening and reconstruction project, roadway modifications to Brian Coburn Boulevard, as well as the Richelieu-Vanier Pool, the François Dupuis District Park, the Alexander Community Centre expansion, and the Tony Graham Recreation Complex expansion in Kanata. Ongoing projects such as Stage 2 LRT and the Ādisōke library were also highlighted, but the city says these are not included in the $691.3 million in planned spending this year. Sutcliffe says there will be some disruption, but it’s needed to improve infrastructure for everyone. “It means we’ve got to close down some roads and repave them, we’ve got to close down some roads and expand them, close down some lanes and fix them up. There’s a price for progress, some disruption, we’ve all got to be patient and get through it together,” he said. “The result will be much better road infrastructure for residents who are driving, taking public transit, riding their bikes, or walking. We all want a better transportation system in our city, and this is part of doing that.” While the Bank Street widening in Findlay Creek has been in progress for years, Coun. Steve Desroches says the expansion is needed to support the growing community. “This is the third year of the Bank Street upgrades. We’ve seen massive growth in this area. And you can’t have rural road infrastructure here when you have a massive urban center like we see in Findlay Creek,” Desroches said. Michel Mohsen, an Ottawa cab driver, says he’s used to seeing construction this time of year. “You know, Ottawa has become two seasons: snow and construction,” Mohsen said. “You have to be patient.” With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Peter Szperling
