Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ottawa’s municipal transportation committee has approved funding to build new cycling tracks on the Maitland Avenue bridge over Highway 417 as part of the bridge’s planned replacement in 2026.
The city says it will pay up to $5.4 million for the design and construction of a raised cycling track with a concrete buffer on each side of the bridge.
The province is responsible for funding the bridge replacement and the cycling facilities as part of its plan to improve transportation infrastructure in the city.
The city says the new cycling tracks will support Maitland Avenue as a key cycling connection over the highway and will connect the city’s cycling infrastructure to other cycling tracks across Highway 417 at the Woodroffe Avenue, Pinecrest/Greenbank Road and Richmond Road bridges.
The province has also agreed to include new cycling facilities across those bridges at no additional cost to the city.
The city expects the new bridge to open in 2026 and will bring improvements to the area’s cycling infrastructure.
The committee also approved a series of minor amendments to the city’s Right of Way By-laws to enhance the administration and enforcement of the by-laws.
The changes, which do not require public consultation, include updating the by-laws to reflect changes in processes and to improve consistency between the by-laws governing the right of way.
City Council will vote on the committee’s recommendations today.