A stretch of Highway 417 through Ottawa will be closed for 82 hours this weekend for the replacing of the aging Preston Street overpass.
Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation will be closing Hwy. 417 eastbound and westbound between Carling Avenue and Metcalfe Street from 8 p.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Monday, July 29 for the replacement of the bridge.
Preston Street is also closed between St. Anthony Street and Young Street until Aug. 6 for the construction.
Crews will use rapid-bridge replacement technology to remove the existing highway overpass and move the pre-constructed new bridge into position.
Highway 417 will be closed at the same time as the O-Train remains out of service between uOttawa and Tunney’s Pasture stations for annual maintenance. The O-Train will be partially shutdown until Sunday.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at what you need to know about the Queensway closure for the replacement of the Preston Street bridge.
When
The eastbound and westbound lanes of Hwy. 417 will be closed to traffic between 8 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Monday, July 29.
Lane closures
The Highway 417 eastbound lanes will be closed between Carling/Kirkwood and Metcalfe Street.
Highway 417 westbound lanes will be closed between Metcalfe/Catherine and Carling Avenue.
Highway 417 ramp closures
The Ministry of Transportation and Kiewit Dufferin Midtown Partnership say the following highway on-ramps will be closed to vehicles this weekend:
Eastbound on-ramps
- Maitland Avenue
- Carling Avenue on-ramp
- Parkdale Avenue on-ramp (to reopen in August)
Westbound on-ramps
- O’Connor Street on-ramp
- Lyon Street on-ramp
- Bronson Avenue on-ramp
- Rochester Street on-ramp (to reopen in October 2024)
- Parkdale Avenue on-ramp
Preston Street closure
Sections of Preston Street are closed due to the replacement of the highway overpass.
Preston Street is closed between St. Anthony Street and Young Street until Aug. 6.
Preston Street will be closed between Louisa Street and Young Street from 8 p.m. July 25 to 6 a.m. July 29.
Detour
Motorists using Highway 417 this weekend are being directed to use Carling Avenue to get around the Preston Street overpass closure.
The detour for westbound motorists recommends exiting Hwy. 417 at Metcalfe Street, then travelling west on Catherine Street to Booth Street, south on Booth Street to Carling Avenue and then driving west to Carling Avenue.
The eastbound detour recommends motorists exit Hwy. 417 at Carling Avenue and travel east on Carling Avenue to Bronson Avenue. Drivers will then turn right from Bronson Avenue to Chamberlain Avenue and travel east to the Metcalfe on-ramp to Hwy. 417.
O-Train
The O-Train will remain partially shutdown this weekend due to annual maintenance.
The O-Train is shutdown between Tunney’s Pasture and u-Ottawa stations until Sunday.
R1 replacement bus service is running between Tunney’s Pasture and Hurdman stations.
Other road closures
Here are some other road closures to keep in mind in the area of the Hwy. 417 closure this weekend:
- Scott Street is closed between Bayview Station Road and Parkdale Avenue for LRT construction work.
- Construction is underway on a two kilometre section of Richmond Road between McEwen and Cleary avenues.