Bridge closures expected to snarl interprovincial traffic

Threebridges spanning the Ottawa River will be closed or partially closedfor construction starting this spring and summer, facing motorists with the prospect of worsening interprovincialtraffic congestionthat could last years.

ChaudireCrossing shutdown

Starting in June, the ChaudireCrossing will beclosed to mosttrafficwhile the Booth-Eddycorridor is reconfigured to become a "complete street" as part of the Zibi development.

Once it's finished in August, the series of spans linking LeBretonFlats and Hull will have a single lane in each direction plus a bike lane.

During construction, the crossing will be closed to cars and trucks from the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in Ottawa to rue Laurier in Gatineau.

Smaller vehicles will be rerouted to the nearby Portage Bridge, whiletruck traffic will usethe Macdonald-Cartier bridge farther east.

Buses, pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to use the Chaudire Crossing,but with a detour.

Future work ontheUnion Bridge portion of the crossing is set to take place from July 2020 to October 2021.

Rotating closures on Alexandra Bridge

The 118-year-old Alexandra Bridge will have both its structural steel and wooden boardwalk replaced, a twin project that will last into 2020.

Beginning in June, the bridge's Gatineau-bound lane will be closed, while its centre lane will switch directions depending on time of day.

That work is expected to wrap up in June 2020. The boardwalk will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists during that period.

The boardwalk replacement will begin in June 2021 and last until December 2022, during which time the bridge's centre lane will be converted to a temporary boardwalk and the Gatineau-bound lane will become a reversible traffic lane.

Portage Bridge lanes to close this summer

Lane closures on thePortage Bridge to create safer segregation between bikes and cars will begin in April and last until June.

A northbound lane will be closed during construction, and asecond northbound lane will be closed overnight and occasionally during off-peak hours.

The lane closures will come as the bridge sees more traffic due to work on the nearbyChaudireCrossing.