Weekly newsletter: April 8, 2025
Hi everyone!
Welcome to Third Winter (reference image above)! I usually don’t mind when it snows, but it’s April…
How about them Sens, though?
Transportation Master Plan
Upcoming public engagement opportunities: Thursday, April 17 at 6:30 pm (in-person at Nepean Sportsplex) and Tuesday, May 6 at 6:30 pm (virtual). More details below.
City staff have released the Capital Infrastructure Plan↗ within the Transportation Master Plan (TMP), the City’s guiding document to grow, develop, and invest in our road, transit, and active transportation network over the next 25 years.
The TMP is updated every five years or so to reflect changes in patterns of growth, travel, and other transport trends. This update is significant and long overdue. Originally scheduled for 2018, this update was delayed a few times by the 2018 municipal election, the pandemic, and several changes to provincial planning policies in 2022.
That means our transportation network of late has been guided by a document from 2013, likely with data from 2013. Minor tweaks to address the most major changes have happened, but we’re generally far behind.
In recognition of the delay, Council broke the TMP update into two parts. Part 1↗ was approved in 2023 and sets out transportation policies, like road design and safety. Part 1 also included some “quick deployment” active transportation projects, such as implementing cycling lanes where only paint and signage would be required.
The current part (creatively named Part 2) identifies projects and investments needed to meet Ottawa’s transportation needs. Within the projects are also a subset defined as “affordable” within the City’s current long-range financial goals.
The TMP looks at Ottawa as a whole, but I will focus on Barrhaven East and travel routes in/out of our community for the newsletter. Readers interested in the rest of the City may view the documents uploaded to the TMP’s EngageOttawa page↗.
TMP – Roads
To determine travel patterns, staff used a screenline analysis, which uses imaginary lines on the borders of major parts of the city and measures the traffic volume crossing the line on the selected roadways.
The data is then fed into a model using projected population and employment growth and demand across different modes of transportation (including transit), which creates a forecast traffic volume for 2046.
For example, the travel study includes a screenline that follows the Jock River from Moodie to the Rideau River. That line measured the traffic volume on Moodie, the 416, Borrisokane, Greenbank, Longfields, and Prince of Wales where they cross the river.
For Barrhaven East commuters, the report notes primary pressure points crossing the Rideau River on West Hunt Club and Strandherd, with capacity constraints on Prince of Wales.
Using screenline analysis, projection models, public feedback, internal feedback, and previous TMPs, a list of needs-based network improvements was created. Needs-based projects are those needed by 2046 to ensure efficient road network functionality. Road projects with committed funding (eg. first phase of Greenbank realignment) were not included.
The following projects with direct local impacts were identified as part of the needs-based network:
Fallowfield – new bridge over the Rideau River
Fallowfield – road widening between Moodie and Old Richmond
Prince of Wales – road widening between Colonnade and Amberwood (except the four-lane section around West Hunt Club)
Prince of Wales – road widening between Merivale and Strandherd
West Hunt Club – road widening between Prince of Wales and Riverside
Some road projects with lesser direct local impacts include future phases of the Greenbank realignment, the widening of Earl Armstrong and its future connection east to Findlay Creek, and the widening of Albion, Lester, and the Airport Parkway.
Unfortunately, not all projects are affordable, and so a subset of projects affordable in the City’s current long-range financial goals was created, called the priority network. Priority network projects were identified and scored based on mobility needs, city-building impact, and cost.
Of the needs-based network projects listed above, both Prince of Wales widening projects were included in the priority network. Future phases of the Greenbank realignment and the Earl Armstrong project were also included.
Some projects with local impacts from the 2013 TMP were also not carried forward. I generally disagree with their removal and will work for their re-inclusion:
Fallowfield – road widening between Woodroffe and Prince of Wales due to low projected demand
Fallowfield – road widening between Strandherd and Greenbank due to low projected demand
Prince of Wales – road widening between Amberwood and Merivale due to low projected demand
TMP – Transit
The transit network portion of the TMP presents recommended transit capital projects needed by 2046 to accommodate projected growth. It is separate from operational funding, which is what funds the day-to-day operation of OC Transpo.
Like the road data, transit needs are based on current and projected travel patterns, population, and employment. Transit needs also includes current and projected ridership as well as average rate of speed of transit vehicles. A needs-based network and priority network were created.
The transit needs-based network with a higher impact for local riders includes:
O-Train Line 1 extension to Barrhaven (“Stage 3 LRT”)
O-Train Line 2 upgrades to support increased frequency
Baseline Road median bus rapid transit
Bowesville Station park and ride expansion
Chapman Mills Transitway completion east to Limebank Station
All four projects were also identified as priority network projects. Unlike road projects, transit capital projects are typically funded jointly by the three levels of government.
The primary challenge for any future O-Train extension, including Line 1 to Barrhaven, is funding. The City’s financial situation means it will not be affordable unless the upper levels of government fund it in its entirety, which I believe is unlikely right now.
Interestingly, the report notes the extension to Barrhaven can be broken into two phases, one to Fallowfield, the second to Marketplace, if funding for the entire extension is not attainable. The report also notes travel time savings are practically none south of West Hunt Club.
I am open to considering an LRT extension to Fallowfield as a means of connecting Barrhaven to the LRT if available funding was limited. However, I also believe the Transitway is an underused asset that can be improved at a far more affordable cost, especially after the Line 1 extension to Baseline opens.
At the same time, some of the heavier transit capital investments wouldn’t be needed with better service, but we need to solve systematic transit funding issues for that to happen.
Some of the more interesting projects screened out of consideration include subway lines under the Bank and Rideau-Montreal corridors and regional rail using Via and other tracks in the City.
TMP – What’s next and public engagement
The capital infrastructure plan is the fifth and final phase of the TMP update. The previous four phases were:
Phase one, January 2020 – existing conditions, vision, guiding principles
Phase two, October 2020 – priority issues identified in phase one, missing links in the active transportation network, and other new mobility priorities
Phase three, Spring 2022 – active transportation projects
Phase four, Summer 2024 – origin/destination survey results and future travel demand
Each phase included months-long public engagements. The current phase will be no different, with multiple opportunities targeted at different parts of Ottawa. A full list is available on EngageOttawa↗, but the public engagement targeted at the south will be:
In person – Thursday, April 17, 6:30 pm at the Nepean Sportsplex
Online – Tuesday, May 6, 6:30 pm (register here↗)
I am expecting to attend both public engagement sessions. If you cannot make it to either session, please feel free to share your feedback with me at Wilson.Lo@ottawa.ca (or by replying to the newsletter) and/or with City staff at TMPUpdate@ottawa.ca.
Additionally, several surveys are also available online:
General questionnaire↗ on road, transit, and active transportation projects
And finally, TMP reference documents:
Travel outlooks report↗ (describes travel demand forecasting)
Active transportation projects↗ (from Part 1)
The TMP update is expected to be discussed, amended, and voted on by Committee and Council in July.
Cleaning the Capital
Registration open until May 2 at Ottawa.ca/Clean↗.
Cleaning the Capital is an opportunity to help your community, for volunteer hours, and to keep our parks and public spaces looking nice.
Interested participants may register a cleanup project to take place any time from April 15 to May 31 at a park, most roadsides and pathways, and many other public spaces.
The City provides participants with cleanup kits which include gloves and yellow city-branded garbage bags, which can be picked up at several locations across Ottawa. Instructions will be provided upon registration.
Participants may register as individuals or as a group!
Some upcoming construction
A few minor projects — one tied to development, the others by telecoms and utilities. Please be cautious and observant around work sites and obey flag instructions.
Earl Mulligan/Woodroffe – Enbridge will be replacing their infrastructure on the north side of Earl Mulligan near Woodroffe between now and September. If necessary, traffic entering Earl Mulligan will be diverted to the centre lane, while traffic exiting Earl Mulligan will be reduced to one left turn lane during off-peak hours only.
Greenbank between Berrigan and Marketplace – Rogers is installing fibre optic infrastructure at some locations along Greenbank between Berrigan and Marketplace, as well as Marketplace east of Greenbank to the Pizza Pizza/DQ stop sign. The most substantial work is along Greenbank south of Strandherd. Possible sidewalk closures and minimal traffic impact.
Leikin/Bill Leathem – Rogers is installing fibre optic infrastructure between now and early-May along Leikin across the RCMP and along Bill Leathem in front of the Salvation Army. Possible sidewalk closures on the west side of Leikin at the RCMP traffic signals and on Bill Leathem.
Longfields/Bill Leathem – The City of Ottawa will be working around the roundabout starting May until about December to relocate some underground wiring and streetlights as part of the sortation facility project. Traffic impacts are expected to be similar to the recent flagging operation at the roundabout.
Have a great week ahead! Hopefully, it won’t be too slushy.
-Wilson