The Highway 417 rapid bridge replacements at Woodroffe Avenue and Maitland Avenue in 2028 will see the municipal roads over the highway closed for six to eight weeks. Officials from the Ministry of Transportation and Stantec appeared before the public works and infrastructure committee on Thursday to outline the plans to replace the Woodroffe and Maitland overpasses along the Queensway. Under the plan, the Maitland Avenue overpass rapid bridge replacement is planned for late spring/early summer of 2028, while the Woodroffe Avenue bridge replacement is tentatively scheduled for late summer of 2028. The Maitland Avenue overpass will be widened by 10 metres to accommodate new active transportation lanes, while the Woodroffe Avenue overpass will be widened by 6.5 metres to accommodate bike lanes. The construction staging areas will be located within the highway interchanges, where the new decks will be constructed. The existing bridge decks will be demolished and removed during a 24-hour closure, and then the new decks will be installed using rapid replacement technology. Both overpasses were constructed in the late 1950s, according to officials. “They are over 50 years old so it does have to be done, but we have to make sure we have the right measures in place to notify the communities, to make sure that we have the ability to navigate and have detours around certain areas,” said Coun. Tim Tierney, chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, whose Bay Ward is on the north side of both bridges, said there is some good news in the proposal. “The good news is that they’re going to include active transportation and this was not done before. The current bridges have small little sidewalks and now they’re going to have decent size sidewalks and they’re going to have cycle tracks,” she said. Here is a look at the plan to replace the two overpasses. Woodroffe Avenue Lincoln MacDonald of Stantec said construction crews will require a 24- to 48-hour full closure of Highway 417 for the demolition and removal of the existing bridge. Woodroffe Avenue will then be closed for six to seven weeks for abutment and substructure construction and adjusting the profile of the overpass to accommodate the new active transportation lanes. The highway will then be closed for 48 to 72 hours to install the new overpass deck. Maitland Avenue MacDonald told councillors there will be a 24-hour closure of Highway 417 to remove the Maitland Avenue bridge. Maitland Avenue will be closed for a period of seven to eight weeks for substructure construction, the widening of the embankment and profile adjustment to accommodate the new active transportation lanes. The highway will be closed for 48 to 72 hours to install the new bridge deck. Stantec says traffic detours will be in effect during the rapid replacement weekends and some sideroads will be closed. Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower said the closures will have a significant impact on traffic. “Both Maitland and Woodroffe are incredibly busy corridors so a lot of people, whether they’re in a car, whether they’re on a bus, or whether they’re on a bike or walking, that that’ll be a big disruption,” he said. The Ministry of Transportation and Stantec will issue a tender for a contract to build the overpasses this spring, with the contract awarded in late June. McDonald said while the rapid bridge replacements are planned for 2028, officials are looking at ways to expedite the construction schedule to 2027. With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy
