Queensway to close again overnight for bridge work

Ottawa drivers will face yet another commuting challenge this weekend with Highway 417 lane closures Saturday and Sunday as the bridges over Carling Avenue are replaced. Last weekend, roads were closed as crews replaced bridges over Kirkwood Avenue.

The highway’s westbound Parkdale and eastbound Maitland on-ramps will be closed from 6 p.m. Saturday until 11 a.m. Sunday.

The 417 east- and westbound will close completely at Carling Avenue, and drivers will be directed to the Carling Avenue exits and onramps as a detour around the construction.

Westbound motorists will exit the highway, drive along Carling Avenue and get back on the Queensway at the westbound on-ramp.

Drivers going east have a longer detour ahead. They will get off the 417 and follow Carling Avenue to Bronson Avenue, where they will turn left. From Bronson Avenue, they will turn right on Chamberlain Avenue, which turns into Isabella Street. Drivers will stay right and take the eastbound on-ramp.

Westbound Carling Avenue will also be closed between Merivale Road and Highway 417. Drivers can detour down Merivale Road to Kirkwood Avenue. Signs will be posted to remind drivers of the closures.

Crews have been building the bridges at sites near the highway for months. Starting Saturday, heavy lifters called self-propelled modular transporters will be used to complete the swap.

“They’ll be lifting the old one out of place and putting the new one in,” said Brandy Duhaime, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transportation Ontario.

The self-propelled modular transporters are massive platform vehicles with computer-controlled wheels to help distribute weight evenly and steer accurately. The heavyduty machines are used to transport everything from offshore platforms to oilfield equipment.

The overpass project will be completed on time and on budget, the City of Ottawa said in a release last week.