Section of Queen Elizabeth Driveway to be closed to vehicles this summer for construction

Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be closed between Fifth Avenue and Pretoria Avenue from Monday, July 14 to Oct. 31. (Ottawa Traffic Cameras)

A section of Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be closed to motorists for the next three months due to construction.

The National Capital Commission says Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be closed to vehicles between Pretoria Avenue and Fifth Avenue starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday for work on the Patterson Creek Bridge.

The NCC initially said the closure would begin Monday morning, but on Monday they announced a one-day delay.

“We’ve confirmed with our contractor that the preparation works today did not require any closures and have adjusted our messages accordingly,” an NCC spokesperson said Monday afternoon. “The full mobilization of the site, including the closure of Queen Elizabeth Driveway, will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15 at 10 a.m.”

Pedestrians and cyclists will still have access to the road, according to the NCC.

Construction crews will be conducting rehabilitation work on the 113-year-old Patterson Creek Bridge.

“This important rehabilitation work will involve repairing the concrete and railings and widening the multi-use pathway to enhance accessibility for all users,” the NCC said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa on May 30.

“The bridge reconstruction will require a closure on a short portion of QED to be closed to vehicular traffic.”

According to the federal government, the repairs to the Patterson Creek Bridge include various types of concrete repairs on soffit and abutments, the installation of a concrete distribution slab to support widening the bridge, waterproofing and asphalt work, improving surface drainage, and the enhancement and widening of the multi-use pathway and sidewalk.

The road will remain closed to vehicle traffic until Oct. 31.

Queen Elizabeth Driveway is one of two main roads that connects downtown Ottawa to Lansdowne Park.

The Ottawa Redblacks are not offering shuttle bus service from Ottawa City Hall to TD Place this season due to the closures on Queen Elizabeth Driveway.

Fans can park for free at Canada Post or park at Carleton University lots (P5, P7, P18) for $6 and there will be a shuttle bus to games.

Residents frustrated

Some residents expressed their concerns about the impact the construction will have on traffic.

“This is my north-south route to go anywhere. If I have go to my parents’ in Manotick, I want to go to the farmers’ market, this is the way I go,” said Laura Lockhard, who lives near the road closure.

“If you add the Bank Street lights and the traffic there, plus the traffic off of [Queen Elizabeth Driveway] on to Bank Street. Forget it.”

Bernie Gorski hopes the road work will lead to improvements.

“When they have a football game or something like that, it gets very busy along here. People can’t get through if it’s going to be shutdown because a lot of them are driving,” Gorski said.

“If they’re going to be doing some work on it, I would just hope that they keep that same historic appearance in the rebuild.”

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Austin Lee