Part of Rideau Street reopens Thursday for taxis and transit

_ (press release) _ ** Ottawa ** – Rideau Street from Sussex Drive to Dalhousie Street will re-open to bus and taxi traffic on Thursday, December 15, beginning at 5 a.m. Cars and cyclists are still not permitted on this portion of Rideau Street until the O-Train Confederation Line begins operating in 2018. Pedestrian access has been permitted throughout construction.

Businesses in the area remain open and residents are encouraged to take advantage of the improved access to support businesses along Rideau Street and in the ByWard Market. The patience of shoppers, commuters and business owners throughout the construction period is appreciated. ** ** ** OC Transpo ** With the reopening, all Rideau Street OC Transpo routes that had been shortened or diverted to other nearby streets will return to normal service on Rideau Street starting at 5 a.m. on Thursday morning. The interim late night OC Transpo shuttle service on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between the ByWard Market and Mackenzie King Bridge will cease immediately following the opening.

For more information, OC Transpo customers should visit octranspo.com and STO customers should visit sto.ca. The City of Ottawa has tools on ottawa.ca to help motorists and transit customers plan their routes and manage their commute including:

 * 
[
 OttawaNav
](http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/transportation-and-parking/traffic/ottawa-nav)
– the City’s mobile application for real time construction and traffic information

 * 
[
 City of Ottawa Traffic Report
](http://ottawa.ca/cgi-bin/trafficreport/report_search.pl?lang=en)
– outlining citywide road closures, traffic restrictions and detours

 * 
[
 Travel Planner
](http://www.octranspo1.com/)
at
[
 octranspo.com
](http://octranspo.com/)
– transit customers can plan their routes

 * 
[
 Interactive traffic map
](http://traffic.ottawa.ca/map/index?lang=en)
– showing construction areas and live traffic cameras throughout the city

 * 
[
 Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) cameras
](http://traffic.ottawa.ca/map/intersections)

 * 
[
 Cycling maps
](http://ottawa.ca/en/roads_trans/cycling/index.html)
and information – detailing bicycle pathways and lanes throughout the city

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401).  You can also connect with us through Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .