Transportation Environmental Study Report - Executive Summary
Introduction and Description of the Undertaking
In response to growing traffic volumes in the City of Ottawa, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) initiated this comprehensive operational review of Highway 417 (Ottawa Queensway) from west of Highway 416 easterly to west of Anderson Road, a distance of about 26 km. This study evaluated opportunities to optimize the use of the existing facility, while providing for the efficient movement of people and goods and reducing gridlock. It examined existing and future problems and opportunities and provided a Recommended Plan to guide the evolution of the Queensway over the next 20 years. The study examined the mainline, as well as all interchanges and crossing roadways within the interchange limits. Exhibit E-1 illustrates the study limits.
Exhibit E-1 Study Area Map
Highway 417 (Ottawa Queensway)
Preliminary Design Study and Environmental Assessment
from Highway 416 easterly to Anderson Road
MTO G.W.P. 663-93-00
This Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) was prepared in accordance with the Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Transportation Facilities, 2000, which has been approved under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act for highway projects undertaken by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
The undertaking, or project, generally includes the following measures:
- Widen Highway 417 by one lane per direction to four mainline lanes in each direction from Highway 416 to Carling Avenue and from Metcalfe Street to Ottawa Road (OR) 174;
- Retain the existing number of mainline lanes from Carling Avenue to Metcalfe Street;
- Widen Highway 417 by one lane per direction to three lanes in each direction from Ottawa Road 174 to east of Walkley Road;
- Retain the existing basic horizontal and vertical mainline geometry throughout;
- Modify the interchanges at Richmond Road, Greenbank Road, Woodroffe Avenue, Carling Avenue, Parkdale Avenue, Bronson Avenue, Lyon Street, Nicholas Street and St. Laurent Boulevard to improve safety and traffic operations. The modification at Parkdale Avenue will require the removal of 19 homes on the south side of Westmount Avenue;
- Revise/enhance the drainage system to accommodate proposed widening;
- Rehabilitate pavement, bridges, and the illumination system as required;
- Upgrade/expand the existing Advanced Traffic Management System including (ATMS) additional pavement loop detectors, cameras, changeable message signs and queue end warning devices;
- Upgrade noise walls to current standards; and
- Replace/enhance landscaping.
In the section of Highway 417 from Maitland Avenue to Island Park Drive, construction of the mainline widening will utilize the widened platform built under the Bridge Rehabilitations Class EA Study - G.W.P. 4058-01-00 to accommodate the additional lane in each direction. No further platform widening will be required within these limits. The environmental impacts, concerns and proposed mitigation measures associated with this work, including the property acquisition requirements and landscaping treatments, were addressed as part of the Bridge Rehabilitations Class EA Study.
Consultation
Throughout the duration of the study, the public, community and interest groups and agencies were encouraged to participate through a proactive approach that included contact letters and notices, a project web site, three series of Public Involvement Centres, a Municipal Technical Advisory Committee, a Public Advisory Committee and presentations to the Transportation Committee of the City of Ottawa, as well as coverage of events on local television and in newspapers.
Agencies provided valuable input during the course of the study, assisting the Project Team in the collection of background data and the development, evaluation and refinement of alternatives and the Recommended Plan. Agency participation is summarized as follows:
- City of Ottawa provided input on key project issues, transportation information, provided comments on study documentation as it proceeded and participated in the evaluation of design alternatives;
- National Capital Commission (NCC) provided input on the Island Park Drive interchange alternatives and participated in the evaluation of design alternatives;
- Ministry of the Environment and Environment Canada provided advice on the investigation of environmental issues;
- The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency coordinated the federal EA review of the project;
- Public Works and Government Services Canada provided input on design alternatives at Parkdale Avenue and Island Park Drive;
- Indian and Northern Affairs Canada provided contact information from Aboriginal groups;
- Parks Canada provided input on the bridge over the Rideau Canal; and
- Algonquin's of Pikwakanagan provided information relating to land claims in the area.
The public was actively involved in the study, participating in Public Involvement Centres and providing many comments for consideration. Close to 1400 stakeholders were included in the consultation database by the end of the study. Comments received from the public during the study are summarized as follows:
- Support for public transit priority;
- Support for the proposed strategic widening and many of the recommended interchange improvements;
- General opposition to the alternative to realign the Island Park Drive off-ramp to the west side of Island Park Drive in an area of Hampton Park (this alternative was dropped from the Recommended Plan);
- Concern about traffic operations and safety at many locations;
- Concern about the loss of green space and mature trees, property impacts, neighbourhood impacts, noise, air quality and vibration impacts.
Project Need
The following problems were identified as a result of the analysis of existing (2001) and future (2021) traffic operations, review of safety data and issues and assessment of the condition of existing infrastructure:
- Mobility and congestion are issues in some sections of Highway 417 during the existing a.m. and p.m. peak travel periods as there is insufficient capacity to accommodate travel demands;
- Mobility and congestion will become even greater issues in sections along Highway 417 during the future a.m. and p.m. peak travel periods as there is insufficient capacity to accommodate projected travel demands despite allowing for the achievement of the City of Ottawa's transit mode share of 30%;
- Congestion and associated delays adversely affect safety and the movement of people and goods;
- Areas of higher than expected collision frequency often coincide with areas of recurring congestion;
- Significant portions of the existing highway infrastructure (e.g. pavement, bridges, lighting, noise walls) are approaching the end of their expected service life;
- There is opportunity to improve road/transit interfaces to improve existing and/or future transit operations;
- Much of the corridor is heavily urbanized, which would significantly limit the amount of widening of the existing highway that could be accommodated without creating significant impact to the local communities that abut the highway; and
- Operational and safety concerns are associated with interchange geometry at some interchanges.
In addition, there are opportunities to support population and employment growth forecasted in the Ottawa 20/20 Transportation Master Plan, 2003 and the City of Ottawa Official Plan, 2003, which in turn will support economic development. By supporting the City target for 30% transit mode share, this work also supports a responsible mobility solution to improvements to the transportation network.
Methodology for the Assessment and Evaluation of Alternatives
In accordance with the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act, a broad definition of the environment was used to develop the list of factors and sub-factors with corresponding measures used to compare competing alternatives. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluation were used where appropriate during the process. In order to assess the robustness of the result, a variety of weights were applied to the various factors.
Planning Alternatives
To resolve the identified problems and the short term (0 to 10 years) to longer term (10 to 20 years) transportation service needs for the Highway 417 corridor within the project limits, the following "Alternatives to" the undertaking were considered:
- Do Nothing
- Alternative Modes -- Rail, Water and Air
- Alternative Mode -- Bus and Rail Transit
-
Alternative Road Solutions:
- Diversion of traffic to other roads
- Transportation demand management
-
Improve existing highway
- Major widening with general purpose lanes
- Major widening high occupancy vehicle lanes
- Strategic widening with general purpose lanes
- Strategic widening with high occupancy vehicle lanes
- New provincial highway
Following the assessment and evaluation of these alternatives, the following "Alternatives to" the undertaking were carried forward for further analysis. It was determined that the Alternatives that were carried forward would satisfy the traffic and transportation requirements for the Queensway corridor while minimizing property and environmental impacts.
- Do Nothing (i.e. no widening, retain the existing number of lanes) for the existing section of the Queensway from Carling Avenue to Metcalfe Street. While no widening will occur in this section, improvements at interchanges will be considered as part of this alternative;
- Improve existing highway -- strategic widening and interchange modifications from Highway 416 to Carling Avenue to provide eight basic lanes, from Metcalfe Street to Ottawa Road 174 to provide eight basic lanes and from Ottawa Road 174 to Walkley Road to provide six basic lanes; and
- Implement transportation demand management and Advanced Traffic Management System measures and improve transit throughout the Queensway corridor to complement other proposed improvements.
Existing Conditions
Natural Environment
On the basis of the field inventories and the secondary source investigations conducted as part of this study, the features of natural environmental significance within the study area are as follows:
- A total of 11 watercourses identified as fish habitat (all warm water fish habitat);
- Several areas of vegetation (e.g. woodlot within 417/416 interchange, small forest associated with Pinecrest Creek) and scattered pockets of landscaping throughout the study area primarily situated outside of the existing right-of-way;
- The presence of one Regionally Rare (Butternut) and four Regionally Uncommon vascular species and a pair of Merlins in Hampton Park.
Social-Economic Environment
The urban setting of the study area means that there are many land uses along the freeway corridor that are significant to the social environment. These include residential (single to multi-family), institutional (churches, schools, embassy), commercial (office buildings, shopping centres, car dealerships, business park, hotels, etc.), recreational (open space park land, baseball diamonds) and industrial (Ottawa Works yard, car repair). Access to these land uses during construction for vehicles, transit, pedestrians and cyclists will be an important consideration.
Cultural Environment
While a Stage II archaeological assessment revealed that the existing right-of-way and adjacent area are significantly disturbed with no evidence of archaeological resources found, there is potential for the presence of archaeological resources to be found at any undisturbed location beyond the existing right-of-way.
Built heritage resources, such as the former municipal building on Main Street, do exist adjacent to the Highway 417 corridor and were identified during the existing land use review.
Transportation and Engineering
The existing Queensway is 3-lanes per direction from Highway 416 to Carling Avenue; 4-lanes per direction from Carling Avenue to Kent Street; 3-lanes per direction from Kent Street to OR 174; and 2-lanes per direction from OR 174 to the east project limit.
Access to the Queensway is provided at grade separated interchanges, many of which do not meet current design standards for a 400 series freeway.
Much of the existing infrastructure is ageing and will require rehabilitation or replacement through the 20 year planning horizon of this study.
Problem Statement
The following primary concerns were noted for the study area:
- Insufficient capacity to accommodate existing and projected travel demands for the study corridor;
- Locations of higher than expected collision frequency typically associated with locations of recurring congestion;
- The standards used for the original construction and subsequent modifications to Highway 417 through the study area have resulted in a number of features that are considered sub-standard by today's standards, including mainline horizontal and vertical alignment elements, ramp geometry and lane/shoulder widths; and
- The majority of the existing highway infrastructure is in need of significant rehabilitation and/or replacement over the planning horizon of this study in order to maintain its functionality.
Design Alternatives
The Highway 417 study corridor was divided into independent segments, interchanges and groups of interchanges for the development, assessment and evaluation of design alternatives. Each independent set of alternatives was reviewed to determine the applicable factors and sub-factors for the evaluation process. A multi-disciplinary team with representatives from the City, NCC, MTO and the consultants preformed the evaluation with input for the sensitivity testing from the Public Advisory Committee. The preferred alternatives were then presented to the public and agencies at Public Involvement Centre #2 and refinements were made to reflect input received.
Mainline
The alternatives for the mainline widening were limited to:
- Do Nothing; and
-
Strategic Widening including application of positive guidance measures, ATMS and the following basic mainline lanes:
- Widen from 3 to 4 basic lanes per direction from Highway 416 to Carling Avenue;
- Retain existing 4 basic lanes per direction from Carling Avenue to Kent Street;
- Retain existing 3/4 basic lanes per direction from Kent Street to Metcalfe Street;
- Widen from 3 to 4 basic lanes per direction from Metcalfe Street to Ottawa Road 174; and
- Widen Highway 417 from 2 to 3 basic lanes per direction from Ottawa Road 174 to east of Walkley Road.
Following the evaluation, strategic widening was selected as the preferred design alternative as it addressed traffic operations and safety issues while minimizing impacts on the environment. In order to avoid property impacts to the extent practical, retaining walls were incorporated into the highway design wherever possible. Remaining property requirements to accommodate the proposed widening consist of one residence and some strips of property. A landscaping concept was developed to guide mitigation measures for unavoidable impacts on existing roadside vegetation.
There will be benefits to the City road network as a result of the strategic widening as traffic will be more balanced between Highway 417 and City streets. The strategic widening will help address the future east-west capacity shortfall identified by the City (even with the achievement of the established 30% transit mode share target).
The strategic widening received general support during consultation and was carried forward to the Recommended Plan.
Interchanges
For each interchange location, alternative ramp configurations and/or closures were identified to address traffic, safety and/or geometric concerns. Some alternatives were developed with input from the public and/or agencies. With the selection of the strategic widening alternative for the mainline, the "base case" alternative for each of the interchanges included modifications to the ramps to fit the mainline widening, where required.
Input from the public was instrumental in the refinement of the technically preferred alternatives. In particular, the initially proposed modification of the ramp at Island Park Drive was removed from consideration. Table E-1 summarizes the technically preferred alternatives at each location within the Study Area along with the rationale for the selection of that alternative and the associated impacts:
Table E-1:Technically Preferred Interchange Alternatives
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Merged Ramp from Highway 416/417 to Holly Acres Road: | |
| Do nothing | Separation of traffic streams or realignment of one of the ramps was not feasible due to the proximity of other roads and bridges |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| North Side: Implement positive guidance measures on westbound off-ramp | This improves safety without requiring geometric changes (no impacts) |
| South Side: Close Richmond Road eastbound on-ramps; provide new eastbound on-ramp from Holly Acres Road. | This maintains all moves without requiring property from properties along Queensline backing onto the Queensway (some impacts to Graham Creek, traffic operations, emergency response, level of service, trees and shrubs and costs) |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Widening/Profile Change: Do nothing | Additional lane(s) would not address the traffic issues associated with this area. Visibility of traffic signals can be improved without replacing the overpass |
| North Side: Modify ramps as needed to accommodate the West Transitway and station | Approved plans for West Transitway include interchange modifications at Pinecrest Road that were incorporated into this study. |
| South Side: Modify curvature of on-ramp from northbound Greenbank Road to the eastbound Queensway. Maintain Ashley Street connection. | Ramp realignment improves geometrics and safety with minor impacts to vegetation and costs. Closure of the Ashley Street ramp connection would have resulted in unacceptable traffic infiltration, operations and safety impacts. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Widening: Widen Woodroffe Avenue to provide northbound left turn lane to the westbound on-ramp | Bridge widening removes left turners from the through lane, improving safety with minor property impacts. |
| North Side: Reconfigure interchange. Combine the exit to northbound and southbound Woodroffe into one loop ramp on west side of the bridge (Parclo B configuration). Provide direct transit-only ramp connection on east side. | This new configuration addresses safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists while maintaining transit and general traffic operations and minimizing residential and institutional property impacts. |
| South Side: Eliminate free flow right turn | This removes free flow conflict with acceptable impact on traffic operations. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Widening: Widen Maitland Avenue to improve northbound left turn lane for the westbound on-ramp | Bridge widening provides more storage for left turners in both directions with minor impact on institutional property. |
| North Side: Do nothing | Interchange re-configuration would result in unacceptable impacts to residential and institutional land uses and to traffic on local City streets. |
| South Side: Do nothing | Interchange re-configuration would result in unacceptable impacts to residential land use. Modifications to signalization to be investigated by the City. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| North Side: Do nothing | No reasonable alternatives identified for MTO corridor. Reconfiguration of the interchange would have significant impacts, staging/constructability concerns and be very costly. |
| South Side: Extend acceleration lanes for on-ramps to the eastbound Queensway from eastbound Carling Avenue and westbound Carling Avenue | The additional acceleration lane length maximizes safety while avoiding impact on Embassy property. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Do nothing | The identified impacts on Hampton Park associated with various alternatives were considered unacceptable. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| North Side: Realign westbound off-ramp to the south | Addressed traffic operations, safety and emergency response. Maintains access to Hospital, residential, employment and commercial areas. Requires the removal of 19 homes along the south side of Westmount Avenue. |
| South Side: Increase length of deceleration lane for eastbound off-ramp and formalize the two-lane approach to Parkdale Avenue | Improves off-ramp capacity thereby reducing queuing onto the highway while minimizing impacts to adjacent property and City streets |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| North Side: Do nothing | Minor traffic control improvements subject to implementation by the City of Ottawa. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Westbound: Provide lane drop on 417 west of Metcalfe Street off-ramp; retain O'Connor Street on-ramp, close Lyon Street on-ramp except during the p.m. peak; retain Bronson Avenue off-ramp and on-ramp | Improves lane balance through the lane drop. Maintains capacity onto the westbound Queensway during the critical p.m. peak while addressing the weave between Lyon and Bronson ramps during the remainder of the day. Avoids unacceptable traffic impacts. |
| Eastbound: Lengthen deceleration for eastbound off-ramp at Bronson Avenue and widen ramp to three lanes in the vicinity of the ramp terminal intersection; realign Chamberlain Avenue | Improves capacity and operations at Bronson interchange. Requires removal of institutional building (Ottawa Board of Education building) on east side of Bronson Avenue. Provides opportunity for landscaping. Concerns regarding speed management shared with City for consideration as part of the Area Traffic Management Program. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| North Side: Do nothing | Construction of a grade separation to eliminate the weave between Nicholas and Metcalfe would have unacceptable property and social impacts and would be costly. Current geometric standards would be difficult to achieve. |
| South Side: Do nothing | Construction of a grade separation to eliminate the weave between Metcalfe and Nicholas would have unacceptable property and social impacts and would be costly. Current geometric standards would be difficult to achieve. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| North Side: Do nothing | Increasing the ramp radius would reduce the weaving length between Nicholas and Metcalfe. |
| South Side: Realign eastbound off-ramp to Lees Avenue to line up with Chestnut Street | The improved radius results in a new ramp terminal that can be signalized and a slightly longer weaving distance between Metcalfe and Nicholas. If traffic infiltration becomes a problem, it can be addressed through signage and enforcement in consultation with the City. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Widening: Do nothing | Bridge widening would not address traffic operations issues on the Vanier Parkway. |
| North Side: Do nothing | Any ramp improvements would reduce the weaving distance between Vanier Parkway and Nicholas Street |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| North Side: Provide combined off-ramp from Ottawa Road 174 to Highway 417 eastbound and St. Laurent northbound; preclude access to St. Laurent westbound off -ramp from Highway 417 westbound | Addresses safety concerns by eliminating weave between Highway 417 and Ottawa Road 174 traffic east of St. Laurent and allowing signalization of Labelle intersection. Maintains connection for the majority (2/3) of westbound traffic exiting at St. Laurent. There are resulting impacts on traffic operations along alternative routes, access to commercial district, trees and shrubs, emergency response level of service and fish habitat. |
| South Side: Close S-E ramp to general purpose traffic; modify ramp diverge at St. Laurent Boulevard for ramp use by transit only. | Partially addresses safety concerns for weaving between St. Laurent and the split. Maintains access from commercial district to eastbound Queensway. Avoids impacts to Cyrville Road south of the Queensway. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Implement positive guidance measures on ramps |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Both Sides: Implement positive guidance measures on ramps | Positive guidance measures will improve safety without the significant costs and impacts of ramp realignment especially with the proximity of Green's Creek to the south. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| East (North) Side: Signalize ramp terminal intersection | Signalization was not warranted at the time of the analysis; however traffic volumes should be monitored and signals installed when the warrants are met. This is expected to occur during the planning horizon of this study. |
| West (South) Side: Do nothing | In order to address the identified traffic operation problems, additional lanes would have to be added to Walkley Road to the west. Since Walkley Road is under the jurisdiction of the City of Ottawa, this is outside the scope of this study. |
| Location: | Rationale and Impacts |
|---|---|
| Beyond the scope of this study. | Based on municipal need for a new interchange here, City of Ottawa is the proponent for a separate EA Study currently underway. |
The technically preferred alternatives described above were carried forward for preliminary design and further refinement as the Recommended Plan.
Changes Made to the Technically Preferred Alternative
The Technically Preferred Alternative was presented to review agencies, the Municipal Technical Advisory Committee, the City of Ottawa Transportation Committee, the Public Advisory Committee and the general public at Public Involvement Centre #2. Refinements made to the technically preferred alternatives following this consultation and additional assessment included:
- Addition of transit-only lane at the eastbound off-ramp and the eastbound on-ramp at Holly Acres including a bus stop with platform;
- Addition of transit-only queue jump lane on northbound (eastbound) Richmond Road at the Holly Acres Road/ Nanaimo Drive intersection;
- Deletion of off-ramp modification at Island Park Drive;
- Removal of new connection between Rosemount Avenue and Beverly Avenue on the north side of the Queensway east of Parkdale Avenue;
- Addition of candidate sites for retrofit noise barriers (North side of Highway 417 from Bronson to Lyon; South side of Highway 417 from east of Preston to the existing Parkdale barrier and a series of barriers from Elgin westerly to Glendale );
- Prohibition of southbound left turn from Bronson Avenue to realigned Chamberlain Avenue at the eastbound ramp terminal and inclusion of realigned connection from Imperial Avenue to Chamberlain Avenue;
- Closure of Lyon Street on-ramp except during the p.m. peak period;
- Retention of the ramp from northbound St. Laurent Boulevard to eastbound Highway 417 for transit-only use.
Recommended Plan
Based on the Technically Preferred Alternatives and the modifications noted above, the recommended plan was developed and then presented to the public and agencies during the third round of Public Involvement Centres. The Recommended Plan included:
- Widen Highway 417 from three to four mainline lanes in each direction from Highway 416 to Carling Avenue and from Metcalfe Street to OR 174;
- Retain the existing number of mainline lanes from Carling Avenue to Metcalfe Street;
- Widen Highway 417 from 2 to three lanes in each direction from OR 174 to east of Walkley Road;
- Retain the basic horizontal and vertical geometry throughout;
- Modify the interchanges at Richmond Road, Greenbank Road, Woodroffe Avenue, Carling Avenue, Parkdale Avenue, Bronson Avenue, Lyon Street, Nicholas Street and St. Laurent Boulevard to improve safety and traffic operations;
- Revise/enhance drainage system to accommodate proposed widening;
- Rehabilitate pavement, bridges, and the illumination system as required;
- Upgrade the existing Advance Traffic Management System including additional pavement loop detectors, cameras, changeable message signs and queue end warning devices;
- Upgrade noise walls to current standards; and
- Replace/enhance landscaping.
Construction Staging
The Recommended Plan will be implemented in a series of contracts staged over a number of years. The following factors will be considered in developing proposed packages of work:
- Priority of need;
- System continuity and lane balance; and
- The ability to combine works into logical packages so that traffic impacts are minimized for all users;
In accordance with the Geometric Design Standards for Ontario Highways (GDSOH), the Queensway improvements will be designed for a design speed of 120 km/h, wherever possible. The design speed of a highway is generally set 20 km/h above the posted speed limit. The GDSOH also recommends that a design speed of 120 km/h be used for traffic detours required during construction staging. In areas with significant constraints, the design speed may be reduced to 100 km/h to minimize impacts. In these cases, the posted speed on the highway is generally reduced during operation of the detours.
Environmental Impacts
The Recommended Plan was refined and mitigation measures identified to minimize impacts to the extent practical as follows:
-
Natural Environment:
- If agencies confirm presence of harmful alteration, destruction or disruption of fish habitat as a result of the Recommended Plan, improve aquatic habitat in areas of disturbance and in accordance with the fisheries compensation plan;
- Replace vegetation, where feasible, in accordance with the landscape concept plan;
- Minimize vegetation removal; provide protection for those trees to remain;
- Design stormwater management facilities to reduce runoff to pre-construction rates;
-
Social and Cultural Environment:
- Implement landscaping to enhance aesthetic design of bridges and retaining walls, where appropriate, to minimize visual intrusion and to provide visual screening and aesthetic enhancement; (e.g. Rideau River)
- Provide noise barrier in the southeast quadrant of the Bronson Avenue interchange to mitigate impacts due to building removal;
- Provide retrofit noise barriers included on the Ministry's program;
-
Land Use and Property:
- Use retaining walls to minimize property requirements;
- Compensate for property acquisition through the MTO Property Acquisition process;
- Complete environmental site assessments and provide mitigation to address site contamination, where indicated, for property to be acquired.
The contract documents will include standard and special provisions to minimize environmental and traffic impacts and control the work of the Contractor. Mitigation measures to minimize adverse impacts during construction include:
- Monitor construction activities. Monitor environmental protection measures;
- Restrict timing of in-stream works; prevent sediment and debris from entering watercourse;
- If deeply buried archaeological remains are encountered during construction, notify the Ministry of Culture immediately;
-
Implement Traffic Management Plan:
- Maintain existing number of lanes on Queensway at most times;
- Preclude lane restrictions during peak travel times;
- Maintain access to businesses and other properties throughout construction;
- Accommodate the needs of pedestrians and cyclists;
- Do not close adjacent crossings at the same time;
- Provide alternative route and advance warning during temporary closures;
- Ensure ongoing communication with emergency services;
- Implement elements of an Advanced Traffic Management System;
- Require Contractor to maintain equipment in an operating condition that prevents unnecessary noise and restrict idling of equipment to the minimum necessary to perform the specified work.
Conclusion
The Recommended Plan documented in this TESR addresses the short and longer term needs for the Queensway (Highway 417) from Highway 416 easterly to west of Anderson Road in order to improve safety, enhance mobility and reduce congestion.
To download the Transportation Environmental Study Report - Volume1 - Main report and Appendix go to: Highway 417 (Ottawa Queensway) *
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