Ring road not on Ottawa’s future transportation road map

Ottawa’s transportation master plan for the next 20 years does not include a ring road. As CTV’s Peter Szperling reports, some people believe it’s needed now.

The City of Ottawa’s roadmap to keep commuters moving over the next 20 years will not include a ring road across the southern part of the city.

Council approved the Transportation Master Plan on Wednesday, the multi-billion plan that identifies transit, road and active transportation investments needed by 2045. With Ottawa’s population expected to grow to 1.4 million people by 2046, the city expects to see demand for an additional 1.2 million daily trips, including more than 620,000 daily trips in vehicles.

While a motion to conduct a “full and fair evaluation” of a southern ring road was passed at the public works and infrastructure committee meting in June, Council removed the reference to the ring road in the final plan.

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The new motion approved by Council, introduced by Coun. Laine Johnson, removed an evaluation of a southern ring road, and urged “all levels of government to prioritize sustainable, data-driven transportation infrastructure investments, including a more effective management of truck traffic throughout the city, including the urban core.”

Johnson says if or when the province wants to initiate a study on a ring road, the city will be at the table.

“If a ring road solution was a project that was worthy of council’s attention, it would have come through that process. But we didn’t see it. It was a motion moved very last minute at committee and although I do understand that it was mentioned in a provincial report in 2022, the provincial report is quite clear that these are options for them to explore,” she said.

“But I don’t think it’s appropriate to redirect a document that has been constructed over six years using evidence based strategic prioritization criteria that was approved by committee and council in 2023.”

Coun. Tim Tierney attempted to add the ring road back to the motion during Wednesday’s meeting, but Johnson did not accept it as a friendly amendment.

“I’ll be working with the provincial government to hopefully override this very poor decision,” Tierney told CTV News Ottawa.

“We’ve talked about ring roads for decades, back when we were less than a population of a million. Maybe it was less of a concern. Now, it’s full congestion seven days a week. We have to look at protecting the corridor.”

A ring road would be an alternate trucking route that would divert vehicles from the Queensway through the centre of Ottawa.

“A dedicated truck route would significantly reduce heavy truck traffic in our small villages, especially in Manotick and Osgood Ward,” Carleton MPP George Darouze said in a press release. “This is a project I have championed for years, both as a City Councillor and now as your MPP.”

Darouze tells CTV News Ottawa he wants to see the City of Ottawa tell the province that a ring road is a priority.