Spring update on Stage 2 LRT east extension work

(The City of Ottawa recently issued an update on the LRT Stage 2 east extension. A snippet is below with a link back to the full update.)

Work is well underway to extend the Confederation Line from Blair Station to Trim Road. The Confederation Line East extension will see LRT continue from Blair Station to Trim Road, adding 12 kilometres of rail and 5 new stations to the O-Train network at Montreal Road, Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard, Orleans Boulevard, Place d’Orleans, and Trim Road.

The Confederation Line East will travel predominantly within the median of Highway 174 between Blair Road and Trim Road, providing stations that are equal distance from communities on either side. In 2020, crews will be focusing on relocating Highway 174 lanes to create enough space in the median for the stations and track.

The City of Ottawa’s Rail Construction Program is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and is in contact with the constructors about adhering to guidance provided by Ottawa Public Health and the Province of Ontario. Construction schedules and sequencing are subject to change as work progresses, at the discretion of the project contractor. Should there be any significant changes to this information, and as additional construction activities are scheduled through 2020, the public will be updated via electronic updates.

Here is what construction you can expect to begin or occur in 2020:

Montreal Interchange Bridge Work

In 2020, a critical component of the Confederation Line East work will be constructing two new bridges at the Highway 174 Montreal Interchange.

Montreal Station will be located above Montreal Road within the median of Highway 174. This requires two new Highway 174 bridges and a reconfiguration of the interchange to shift ramps, traffic, utilities and multi-use pathways away from where the future station will be located.

Work in the Montreal Interchange can be broken down in phases:

Phase 1 - May 2019 to March 2020:

Crews have relocated the existing ramps and completed installing excavation support on both sides of the highway.

Phase 2 - April 2020 through summer (up to Labour Day) 2020:

Crews are building the retaining wall in the interchange. Further to this, work on the drill shafts and additional utility relocations will take place. The new Montreal bridge substructures and deck works begin.

The north side lanes of Montreal Road in this immediate area will be closed to accommodate the work zone, and south side lanes will be used to accommodate bi-directional traffic until Labour Day 2020 or before.

Traffic impacts on Montreal Road - April 10th through summer (up to Labour Day) 2020

Northside vehicular lanes under the highway overpass will be closed, and south side lanes will be repurposed to accommodate bi-directional traffic. As a result, vehicular lanes will be reduced to one lane in each direction in order to construct the new centre bridge piers. One left turning lane from the Highway 174 eastbound off ramp will be closed, and the other will remain open. All on and off ramp movements will remain available, although moderate delays are expected at peak times.

All pedestrians and cycling movements will be maintained via the newly improved multi-use pathway on the south side of Montreal Road. The multi-use pathway on the north side will be closed.

Phase 3 - Post-2020:

Once the centre pier work is complete, various widenings and realignments of the ramps will continue, along with the work on the second bridge abutments, deck works, and finishing works. Once the two new bridges have been completed, traffic will be shifted during overnight hours, and demolition of the existing bridges will begin in preparation for station construction in the median.

East Flyover Rail Bridge

A new rail bridge will be constructed 800 metres east of the Highway 174 Blair Road Interchange, just east of the existing bus rapid transit (BRT) bridge.

The East Flyover Rail Bridge will bring the Confederation Line East from the north side of the highway into the Highway 174 median, where the guideway will remain until reaching the terminus station at Trim Road.

Photo: Footprint of the planned East Flyover Rail Bridge.

Later this summer, Highway 174 between Blair Station and Montreal Road will be temporarily shifted south to allow for the construction of the new rail bridge and demolition of the existing BRT bridge. Crews will be commencing construction of the new lanes on the south side of Highway 174 this spring.

Once traffic has shifted, work will begin on constructing the East Flyover’s foundation and bridge columns. When complete, precast girders will be laid on top of the columns allowing for the track to span over the westbound Highway 174 lanes. Once installed, a concrete deck will lifted into place.

Read the full update on ottawa.ca…