City of Ottawa map
The “black” streets shown in the map will be under construction to
varying degrees this Fall. Main Street will be closed between Greenfield
Avenue and Colonel By Drive.
Image by City of Ottawa
By John Dance
The Greenfield-Main-Hawthorne road and underground services reconstruction project in the northern part of Old Ottawa East begins this summer with the creation of the longsought-after safe pedestrian crossing of Colonel By Drive at the northern end of Main Street and with various other efforts in anticipation of next year’s full construction effort.
Although there remain several community concerns that have not been fully resolved, a number of primary improvements, including the Colonel By Drive crossing and the undergrounding of hydro and other wires on Hawthorne (Echo-Main) and Greenfield (Havelock-Main) avenues and on the northern part of Main Street, will be implemented as part of the $33 million project that won’t be fully completed until 2024.
An immediate impact of this year’s work will be the closure of Main Street between Greenfield Avenue and Colonel By Drive during the fall. This work will allow construction of the new safe crossing of Colonel By and will also facilitate the construction of the new six-storey apartment building at the northern corner of Main Street and Echo Drive.
[See City website, below, for proposed closures, particularly the section entitled “What to Expect During Construction?”]
The closure initially coincides with the closure of Colonel By Drive for the rebuilding of the retaining wall north of Clegg Street and to allow a spacious pedestrian and cyclist route during the pandemic. The Old Ottawa East Community Association has requested that there be good signage so that drivers are not surprised by the closure and to ensure that truck traffic does not stray off Greenfield and Main onto side streets. This fall, the other reconstruction work will include:
• Colonel By Drive (Hawthorne Avenue to north of Highway 417): storm sewer installation;
• Main Street (Greenfield Avenue to Echo Drive): watermain, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer;
• Echo Drive (near Main Street): watermain, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer installation with temporary road reinstatement;
• Lees Avenue (Greenfield Avenue to LRT pathway.): multi-use pathway connecting to Greenfield cycling lanes;
• Hawthorne Avenue: (Main Street to Colonel By Drive): relocation of gas main.
Next year, the work begun this year will be completed. Also scheduled are the remaining sewer, water and road reconstruction north of the Queensway on Main Street (Echo Drive to Harvey Street); full sewer, water and road reconstruction on Greenfield Avenue (Main Street to King Edward Avenue), Echo Drive (Queensway to Concord Street North), Concord Street North (Echo Drive to Havelock Street), Montcalm Street (Greenfield Avenue to the dead-end) and Harvey Street (Echo Drive to Main Street
Additional information can be found on the City’s project website at ottawa. ca/gmhreconstruction. Residents in the northern part of the community were notified in July that they had until August 5 to comment on the plans for 2021 construction. The deadline for comments related to the project areas for 2022 or later is August 31
