Pedestrians will have to navigate around a large yellow obstacle while walking near the new Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus. A fire hydrant is in the middle of the newly constructed sidewalk at the intersection of Carling Avenue and Champagne Avenue. Shaun Hopkins emailed photos of the hydrant in the middle of the sidewalk to CTV News Ottawa on Monday, asking, “How does this make sense?” In a statement to CTV News Ottawa Tuesday afternoon, the city said it is assessing the current location of the hydrant. “The City of Ottawa prioritizes accessibility and values the community’s attention to this matter,” Court Curry, manager of Right of Way, Heritage and Urban Design, said in an email. “We are aware of the fire hydrant placement at the intersection of Carling Avenue and Champagne Avenue and are currently assessing its location in relation to the new sidewalk, underground infrastructure, and overall design considerations.” Public Works and Infrastructure Committee chair Coun. Tim Tierney says this will be fixed. “I’ve spoken with the general manager, this will be rectified,” he said. “This is not how we do business in the city, we want to ensure accessible sidewalks for everybody. Regardless of who made the error, it has to be corrected and will be corrected.” With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Tyler Fleming
