Road Projects History

City Capital Spending on Roads: 2003 to 2015 (1B$)

An analysis was performed of all the road projects undertaken by the City since 2003 and the spending categorized for projects inside the greenbelt vs outside the greenbelt.

The details can be seen in the spreadsheet below.

Summary: In the period from 2003 to 2015 spending totalled

• • New roads outside the greenbelt - 882m$

  • Road projects inside the greenbelt - 172m $

  • Total road building/renewal projects - 1,054m$

It should be noted that the figure of 172m$ for inside the greenbelt includes:

• • approximately 40m$ of road renewal work as part of sewer and water infrastructure work (Bank St, Preston St, King Edward Ave, Rideau St) as well as bridge rehabilitation work (Pretoria, Bronson)

  • 2012-2014 "On the Move" accelerated road renewals being conducted as part of water/sewer rehabs

  • 2012-2014 "on the Move" accelerated bridge and structure renewals

  • 65m$ planned for the Alta Vista Corridor in 2012/2013

CONCLUSIONS:

• 1. The only significant new road planned for inside the greenbelt in 2003 to 2014 timeframe is the Alta Vista Corridor Hospital Link.

  2. 80-90% of all spending on road building is happening outside the greenbelt

NOTE: at the bottom of this spreadsheet window is a link to the actual spreadsheet. By clicking on that link the spreadsheet will be displayed in a wider window making it easier to see the additional columns to the right.

Rounding out the Picture: MTO and Federal Road Spending

Hwy 417 Investments by MTO (561m$):

In addition to the 1B$+ figure above for City investment in urban roads is the 561m$ investment by the MTO on the 417 within the City of Ottawa Urban boundary. This includes:

• • 2012-2014: widening 417 from 6 lanes to 8 lanes from Nicholas to Split (~200m$)

  • 2012-2014: widening Highway 417 from 4 to 8 lanes from Eagleson Road to Palladium Drive and from 4 to 6 lanes from Palladium Drive to Highway 7, together with repairs to the Carp Road, Eagleson Road and Huntmar Drive bridges (86m$)

Since 2003-2010: $275m$

• • The expansion from 4 to 8 lanes of Highway 417 from Highway 416 to Eagleson Road

  • Cyrville Road Bridge replacement and the Anderson Road Bridge repair

  • Carling Avenue Eastbound Bridge.

More information on the 417 expansion in the east of downtown can be found on our Road Projects page

Planned East Ottawa Inter-provincial bridge: (500m$)

A final report is expected by the end of 2012 on the preferred location for adding a new major 4-lane bridge (and associated access roads) across the Ottawa River east of the downtown. In 2008 this project was estimated to cost in the vicinity of 500m$. More details can be found at our Inter-provincial crossings page.

Transportation Master Plan Changes 2008 vs 2003

The 2003 Transportation Master Plan was also researched and a list was made of the road projects which were forseen to be needed over the 2003 to 2021 time horizon. A comparison was then made to the 2008 Transportation Master Plan view of which road projects would be needed in the 2008-2031 timeframe.

By comparing the view of the 2003 and the 2008 plan the following things are highlighted:

a) road projects which were seen as needed by 2013 but which will not be completed by then

b) road projects which were delayed in the 2008 plan from the original 2003 view

c) new road projects appearing in the 2008 plan which were not mentioned in the 2003 plan

The detailed road listing together with the date forseen as needed in the 2003 plan and the 2008 plan can be viewed in the spreadsheet above.

MAIN OBSERVATIONS:

• 1. For the majority of future road work in the central and south eastern area of the city listed in the 2003 Transportation Master Plan , the projected implementation date had slipped by 5-10 years by the time the 2008 TMP was created.

  2. A number of road projects planned in the Kanata area of the city were completed 5-10 years ahead of plan (partially as a result of the availability of infrastructure stimulus spending in 2010)

  3. The plans for a number of road projects in the Orleans area in the 2008 TMP have been advanced by 5-10 years from the 2003 TMP (or were not even listed in the 2003 TMP) but were inserted in the early phases of the 2008 TMP.

POSSIBLE INTERPRETATIONS:

• • The growth of traffic on Ottawa roads does not seem to be occurring at the pace that planners have been forecasting since 2003.

  • Growth did not materialize in the south east as much as had been forseen in 2003

  • The 2013 update to the TMP will provide an important opportunity to confirm whether this trend is continuing. This has the potential to enable a more accurate view of what road expansions should be planned in the 2013 to 2031 time horizon.

The data in the above spreadsheet was obtained from the following sources:

• • 2003 Roadway Staging Requirements Document (input to 2003 TMP)

  • 2003 Transportation Master Plan

  • 2008 Transportation Master Plan

  • 2011& 2012 Transportation Budget