Carling Avenue Transit Priority Study/Proposed 417 Carling E-E ramp closure open houses

Wednesday February 15 will be a day of great interest for many residents of Kitchissippi Ward with two public consultations, conveniently at the same time and same place. (note that a recent email I sent had the incorrect date).

From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., St. Anthony's Banquet Hall, 534 St. Anthony Street (just off Preston) will play host to the Carling Avenue Transit Priority Study Open House and the second Public Information Centre for the contentious proposed Highway 41 Carling Ave E-E Ramp Closure.

The Ministry of Transportation requested the shared open house as some of the modifications identified along Carling Avenue (in the vicinity of the 417 interchange), are a result of the on-going MTO Environmental Assessment for the Highway 417 widening and the resulting proposed E-E Ramp closure. 

At one end of the hall, the Carling Avenue Transit Priority Study will be presenting recommendations to improve transit service efficiency and reliability along the corridor while also improving the environment for walking and cycling in certain locations. Your feedback to the recommendations is invited and encouraged.

At the other end of the hall, the Ministry of Transportation will be holding its Public Information Centre as the Detail Design and Environmental Assessment Study continues for the ramp closure. MTO says the closure necessary to deal with safety issues caused by the 417 widening which it says would create a "significantly substandard merge condition" for the existing Highway 417 Carling Avenue W-E on-ramp.

From the MTO

"The Highway 417 Carling Avenue E-E- On-ramp is a low volume on-ramp which carries one lane of traffic onto Highway 417 Eastbound. The project involves the following components:

• Proposed permanent closure of the Highway 417 Carling Avenue E-E On-ramp;
• Maintaining access to Highway 417 Eastbound within the Carling Avenue interchange using the existing W-E On-ramp;
• Construction of related works, including retaining walls, illumination modifications/ATMS, and landscaping

Traffic management is being coordinated with the City of Ottawa. In order to facilitate safe and efficient access to Highway 417 Eastbound using the W-E On-ramp and to address weaving issues at the Carling Avenue/Kirkwood Avenue intersection associated with traffic exiting Highway 417 using the E-W Off-ramp (off-ramp from Highway 417 Westbound to Carling Avenue Westbound), improvements are proposed at the Carling Avenue/Kirkwood Avenue intersection and at the Carling Avenue/Saigon Court intersection.

Upon completion of the study, a Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) will be prepared and filed for a 30-day public review period.

If you are unable to attend the PIC but wish to obtain additional information or submit comments, please feel free to contact the undersigned at the address listed below or visit the project website at www.highway417carlinge-eramp.com.

Ms. Kate Green, P. Eng., MTO Senior Project Engineer

Kate.Green1@ontario.ca"

We hope to see you there to have your voices heard on these two significant projects.