Highway 417 construction in Ottawa is now butting into Nepean

Angela Prescott is the director of the Glabar Park Community Alliance and a former elementary school teacher at D. Roy Kennedy Public School. She says that since the Highway 417 construction began, congestion in the area has been made worse in the area. Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

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Since the Highway 417 construction and closures began near Angela Prescott’s Glabar Park neighbourhood, traffic congestion in the area is worse than ever.

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“The exacerbation has been tenfold since the reduction on the highway. So we’ve seen a dramatic increase in backups in that area since they started the work,” said the Nepean resident, who is also the director of the Glabar Park Community Alliance.

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Currently, there are both eastbound and westbound lane closures in place from Woodroffe to Pinecrest Avenue for construction work on the centre median near the Pinecrest overpass. Construction crews are also installing the foundation for an overhead sign for the Queensway, after the construction of a tunnel for the LRT extension disrupted the previous one.

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According to the City of Ottawa’s website, there will be “other lane closures and ramp closures as needed during (this) work period,” which is expected to last another month.

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Prescott said the alliance has since received numerous emails and complaints.

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She’s also heard that parents are walking extra distances to avoid a few of the area’s more dangerous intersections, or opting to drive their kids to the nearby D. Roy Kennedy and Woodroffe Avenue public schools instead.

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Though Prescott already drives her son to school, she said she wouldn’t be comfortable letting the eight year old walk that area by himself.

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She said the highway construction is making an already bad situation worse. For close to a decade, Glabar Park residents have seen drivers cut through their neighbourhood to get from Carling to Woodroffe Avenue faster, she said.

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This is most concerning on weekdays after 3 p.m., when D. Roy and Woodroffe let out their elementary students, who need to walk or drive through that area, said Prescott.

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Right in front of D. Roy, at the intersection of Fairlawn and Lenester Avenue, there’s a sign telling drivers they can’t turn right on a red light between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., she explained, but it’s often ignored, making it both difficult and unsafe for young children to get home.

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“It means that people can’t get to the school to pick up their kids, but most importantly, it means all of the kids that are trying to walk home really struggle, and that people can’t get in and out of their own neighbourhood,” said Prescott, who is also a former elementary school teacher at D. Roy.

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Construction on the 417 has returned, causing slowdowns for drivers, particularly for those heading west on the Queensway. Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

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There’s been some recent effort from the city to alleviate the concerns caused by the Queensway construction, like opening a previously bus-only lane to cars at the westbound 417 on-ramp at Woodroffe, and an increased police presence in the mornings, said Prescott.

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But one day of ticketing won’t change things, Prescott said, adding that long-term action is necessary, like more crossing guards. Though she recognizes this might be difficult with already-strained school boards.