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Congestion has finally eased for drivers on Highway 417 in downtown Ottawa as a long-lasting construction project enters its final stages.
Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and contractors Kiewit-Dufferin Midtown Partnership have been replacing five aging overpasses in the area since 2021.
They’ve also been improving highway walls and tweaking the Bronson Avenue ramps, among other projects.
That has resulted in highway lane closures since late summer 2021, reducing the 417 to three lanes along a stretch from Island Park Drive to Kent Street.
On Monday morning, motorists noticed those lanes open again after more than four years.
Highway 417 is back to four lanes in each direction after losing a lane to construction for more than four years. (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario)
Some finishing touches remain, according to an email from an MTO spokesperson on Monday. They include some night and weekend work in the area, plus the closure of the eastbound Bronson off-ramp until Dec. 20, and the westbound Lyon Street on-ramp until Jan. 1.
The MTO said the next bridges slated for replacement are those crossing the Rideau Canal and Main, Elgin and Metcalfe streets, starting with the one crossing the canal in 2029.
WATCH | One of the rapid bridge replacement projects:
Watch a time-lapse of the Bronson overpass installation
Earlier this month, a stretch of Highway 417 through central Ottawa was closed as crews worked to install a prefabricated bridge over Bronson Avenue.
