City of Ottawa hoping to 'minimize' transit disruptions during St-Laurent Station construction

A 2024 file photo of St-Laurent Station. The renewal project being considered for the busy station is expected to take 11 to 13 months and would require several stages of track closures to facilitate the work while also maintaining safety for the public and for maintenance workers. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

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City staff are hoping to minimize disruptions for transit riders during construction on the St-Laurent LRT station, which is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2028 and could shut down the tracks in both directions for several weeks.

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The estimated $7.9-million renewal project is expected to take 11 to 13 months, according to the report, and would require several stages of track closures at the busy O-Train LRT station to facilitate the work while also maintaining safety for the public and for maintenance workers.

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Carina Duclos, the city’s director of infrastructure services, sent a memo to the mayor and council on July 30 to respond to questions raised by councillors on the condition of the tunnel infrastructure, the renewal project timelines and the potential impacts to transit customers.

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The Stantec report was “meant to inform the scope of the design work to be undertaken” and it highlighted “several possible staging options,” Duclos wrote.

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Stantec proposed a staging sequence requiring single-track closures of nine to 10 weeks for each track, platform closures of four to five weeks per platform and full closure of both tracks for five to six weeks to facilitate the rehabilitation work.

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“These will be refined and further assessed as part of this design work. Only when the detailed design is complete will city staff determine and recommend the most appropriate construction approach to council,” Duclos wrote. “This will prioritize an approach that minimizes disruptions to transit customers.”

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The St-Laurent tunnel renewal project is part of the city’s ongoing lifecycle renewal program, which “proactively rehabilitates critical infrastructure to ensure it remains safe, reliable, and resilient for years to come,” Duclos said. The rehabilitation is expected to extend the structure’s service life by 15 years.

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“I want to reassure members of council that St-Laurent Station remains safe for customers and staff. The station and tunnel infrastructure continue to be regularly inspected and monitored, and appropriate measures are in place to support the safe operation of O-Train Line 1.”

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The station and tunnel structures are in “generally good condition,” though some components have been identified as being in “fair to poor condition” through the city’s regular inspection process. Those components have been “prioritized” for renewal, Duclos said, and updated information has been shared with the transit committee.

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Duclos said the project was currently in the procurement stage to retain detailed design services and staff were following the normal process for infrastructure projects.