$44M extension of Hunt Club, annouced funding of $22M by Province

Luker · #1 Posted: **May 27, 2011, 9:43 PM**

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/extensi...643/story.html

By Joanne Chianello May 27, 2011 5:31 PM Comments (2)

OTTAWA — The provincial Liberal government found $22 million in its budget this year to connect Hunt Club Road to Highway 417 in the southeast section of the city, in addition to a previously released plan to widen the highway from Nicholas Street to the eastern split.

The city will be footing the other half of the bill, money that Mayor Jim Watson said was already in the 2011 capital budget.

The announcement was made Friday by Infrastructure Minister and Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Bob Chiarelli and Ottawa-Orléans MPP Phil McNeely, who said he’s been working on connecting Hunt Club to the highway for more than five years.

Among other things, said McNeely, the new interchange will provide a more direct route to the airport for those living in the southeast quadrant of the city.

Watson and several city councillors also attended the press conference that was held on a dead-end strip of Hunt Club just east of Hawthorne Road, or as Gloucester-Southgate Councillor Diane Deans referred to it, “a road to nowhere.”

Under the infrastructure stimulus fund, which expires in October, Hunt Club Road was extended in a project costing about $20 million, shared equally by the federal, provincial and municipal governments. But the highway interchange was not eligible under the federal part of the program, and so Hunt Club literally goes nowhere east of Hawthorne.

But Friday’s announcement means that work on the interchange will begin as soon as August and is expected to be completed by 2014.

Watson said that the city had put in a request for funding for this project, “and we were hoping that we’d get some funding, and I have to tell you that we are very pleased that we are getting much more than we thought we would get.”

Lisa MacLeod, the Progressive Conservative MPP for Nepean-Carleton called Friday’s announcement “purely political, plain and simple.

“The Liberals have been engaged in a seat-saver program, announcing multi-million-dollar projects in the hope of hanging onto a few seats,” she said.

She charged that Liberals are “having trouble finding candidates,” pointing to another announcement Friday, this one by West Carleton-March Councillor Eli El-Chantiry confirming that he would not seek the Liberal nomination in the Carleton-Mississippi Mills riding.

The provincial Tories are holding their convention in Toronto this weekend. Candidates will receive training for the upcoming election campaign and the party will release its platform on Sunday. MacLeod said the Liberal announcement was “a desperate attempt to try to change the channel” from the attention being given the PC convention.

But Chiarelli deflected any criticism that announcing new money for a new road was a ploy to buy votes.

“We make major announcements throughout the year, every year, and we’re not going to stop because it’s an election year,” Chiarelli told reporters. “This has been in the cards for a long time and it’s coming to fruition now.”

The 2011-12 provincial budget earmarked $12.8 billion for infrastructure over the 12 months. Chiarelli said that “much of that is already allocated to existing projects, but there’s significant room there to announce new projects.”

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P.S. admin please fix title spelling of 'announced'

Luker · #2 Posted: **May 27, 2011, 9:54 PM**

So, big deal? This effectively complete our Ottawa 'ring road'. Also, it does have the right of way medians to be expanded to a six lane parkway in the future.. (I give it 15yrs tops even with the lightrail going in... aka the first thign to do after it...?) Ohh, other than expand the LRT up bronson, to the airport, college, farhaven, kanata, orleans, maybe throw rideau rideau, vanier, and gatineau too?

MaxHeadroom · #3 Posted: **Jun 1, 2011, 1:29 AM**

The completion of this roadway is desperately needed. At peak periods, there is often a long line of vehicles queued onto 417 East waiting to exit to Walkley. Walkley is an absolute mess and completely over capacity. The only option south is to take indirect backroads to Anderson Road (which is also under construction.)

Davis137 · #4 Posted: **Jun 2, 2011, 9:20 PM**

I saw last weekend that Huntclub is built up now to within eyesight of the 417...they have regraded the land so that it can approach an overpass when they build one...

Sven Casselman · #5 Posted: **Jul 11, 2011, 2:05 PM**

I'm not very keen on extending Hunt Club to the 417; Traffic along that beginning stretch of it is congested as hell as it is, and having people take it coming right off the 417 will only make it worse. Without the widening of the road first, it will end up funnelling a ton of new traffic into the area.

Harley613 · #6 Posted: **Jul 11, 2011, 3:58 PM**

i don't find hunt club very busy between hawthorne and bank at all, and i take it every day. the east end of the road is underutilized if anything. if they get cracking and build the alta vista transit corridor from conroy to nicholas this will really expedite traffic flow and relieve the queensway at the split in a huge way. this is so overdue!!!

gjhall · #7 Posted: **Jul 11, 2011, 4:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley613

i don't find hunt club very busy between hawthorne and bank at all, and i take it every day. the east end of the road is underutilized if anything. if they get cracking and build the alta vista transit corridor from conroy to nicholas this will really expedite traffic flow and relieve the queensway at the split in a huge way. this is so overdue!!!

I agree, but wonder if there's really capacity for cars going onto the Queensway here to go downtown...it's usually blocked up at Walkley Road every day already...

bobert_d · #8 Posted: **Jul 11, 2011, 5:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley613

i don't find hunt club very busy between hawthorne and bank at all, and i take it every day. the east end of the road is underutilized if anything. if they get cracking and build the alta vista transit corridor from conroy to nicholas this will really expedite traffic flow and relieve the queensway at the split in a huge way. this is so overdue!!!

I for one really do not want the Alta Vista Corridor built, especially the section between Nicholas and Riverside, as that will mean sticking a hugely busy road right on the closest open space for about 4000 people. Not only that, it'll be a huge barrier to get to the next nearest open space on the Oblates land, which is due to be developed shortly (I believe that the plan is for the waterside area to remain as greenfield).

Also, the 417 is going to be widened in this area, although it will not be opening until after the LRT is built. That section will, apparently, be bus only until the LRT opens, then reverting to general traffic.

Harley613 · #9 Posted: **Jul 11, 2011, 5:48 PM**

it's nice open space for the residents of the area, sure, but it has been put aside for a future road that is desperately needed by most of the city...sorry but i can't wait until they build this...as i'm sure they will eventually! why else would they have left it undeveloped for all these years?

phil235 · #10 Posted: **Jul 11, 2011, 8:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley613

it's nice open space for the residents of the area, sure, but it has been put aside for a future road that is desperately needed by most of the city...sorry but i can't wait until they build this...as i'm sure they will eventually! why else would they have left it undeveloped for all these years?

I'm certainly not keen on another highway heading downtown, slicing up neighbourhoods on the way. That type of city planning has pretty much been discredited at this stage. There may be an argument for using the right-of way for transit though.

eternallyme · #11 Posted: **Jul 11, 2011, 9:10 PM**

I agree the Alta Vista corridor is unnecessary, certainly as no more than a collector road in the area for local traffic with no access controls.

As for Hunt Club, that would complete an "inner bypass" which could draw some traffic off of Highway 417. Agreed that Bank eastward operates quite well and can sustain additional traffic, but the central part of Hunt Club is a major bottleneck.

waterloowarrior · #12 Posted: **Aug 14, 2011, 1:32 PM**

bidding for construction of phase 1B (Russell to 417 interchange) closes aug 18th.

MaxHeadroom · #13 Posted: **Sep 3, 2011, 3:23 AM**

They didn't waste any time getting started on phase 2. Trucks and heavy equipment have been busy grading the roadbed between 417 and Russell for the last two weeks or so. No sign of any work on the new overpass over Russell yet, though.

MaxHeadroom · #14 Posted: **Oct 8, 2011, 1:42 AM**

OK, the site is starting to take shape. There is now a substantial road embankment built up between the existing hydro lines and Russell Rd. Given the height of the roadway, it's obvious the power lines will have to be moved. Still no formwork or anything for the overpass yet.

Orange construction signs have gone up on the 417 in both directions establishing a construction zone around the future site of the interchange. These signs are going to be around for a while, given they have been set into the ground!

Cre47 · #15 Posted: **Oct 8, 2011, 4:35 PM**

Probably one of the rare necessary road expansions as long as it doesn't go past/east of the 417. Walkley Road is a mess and getting most of the trucks (well those coming from Montreal at least and heading in the Hawthorne area though not the Sheffield area) out of there would help.

MaxHeadroom · #16 Posted: **Oct 29, 2011, 10:53 AM**

This week, crews began to grade and clear the land along the west side of the 417, probably for ramps and moving a waterway.

lrt's friend · #17 Posted: **May 13, 2012, 4:01 AM**

Funny how fast work can proceed if there is a deadline. Now that there is no deadline, everything takes an eternity. I bet if there was a deadline involved, they would come up with solutions pronto for the South Keys pedestrian bridge and the Strandherd/Armstrong Bridge. The politicians must have hated the infrastructure program. Things got done without a thousand separate announcements for the same project.

lrt's friend · #18 Posted: **May 13, 2012, 4:05 AM**

Just remember the Sawmill Creek bike pathway. Part of it got built during the infrastructure program. It will probably be 2030 before the remainder gets built. Of course, it is of almost no value until the missing link gets finished. In the meantime, we have a beautiful paved bike trail that abruptly ends in shrubbery under the Walkley Road bridge. Your city in action.

McC · #19 Posted: **May 13, 2012, 11:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Just remember the Sawmill Creek bike pathway. Part of it got built during the infrastructure program. It will probably be 2030 before the remainder gets built. Of course, it is of almost no value until the missing link gets finished. In the meantime, we have a beautiful paved bike trail that abruptly ends in shrubbery under the Walkley Road bridge. Your city in action.

Good friend of mine found out about that shrubbery the hard way one evening.

Dado · #20 Posted: **May 14, 2012, 2:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Just remember the Sawmill Creek bike pathway. Part of it got built during the infrastructure program. It will probably be 2030 before the remainder gets built. Of course, it is of almost no value until the missing link gets finished. In the meantime, we have a beautiful paved bike trail that abruptly ends in shrubbery under the Walkley Road bridge. Your city in action.

That path was supposed to have been built when the Southeast Transitway was built; naturally it got cut (just as the path along the N-S LRT - some of it the same path, again - got cut when it was approved in ~June 2006) to control the budget. So it's only 15-20 years behind schedule now.