Highway 417 Construction Ramping Up in Nepean
Lane closures near Woodroffe to Pinecrest are worsening congestion and creating safety concerns for school-zone foot traffic.
Since Highway 417 construction intensified near Glabar Park in Nepean, traffic congestion in the area has spiked dramatically, adding pressure on an already strained network of streets used as a shortcut between Carling and Woodroffe Avenue.
Both eastbound and westbound lanes are currently closed from Woodroffe to Pinecrest Avenue for centre median work near the Pinecrest overpass. Construction crews are also installing a foundation for an overhead Queensway sign, replacing one damaged during LRT extension tunnel work. The City of Ottawa expects the work to last another month, with additional lane and ramp closures as needed.
Angela Prescott, director of the Glabar Park Community Alliance and a former elementary school teacher at D. Roy Kennedy Public School, said the alliance has received numerous complaints. The congestion compounds a longstanding problem: for nearly a decade, residents report drivers cutting through their neighbourhood to avoid the main corridor, particularly between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. when local schools let out. Parents are now walking extra distances to avoid dangerous intersections or driving their children to nearby schools instead of letting them walk.
At Fairlawn and Lenester Avenue, directly in front of D. Roy, a no-right-turn-on-red restriction between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. is frequently ignored by drivers, making it both difficult and unsafe for young children getting home. Prescott said the construction has made an already bad situation worse, with parents and students struggling to get in and out of the neighbourhood safely.