Motorists warned to expect construction on Hwy. 417 through Ottawa this summer
Kiewit Dufferin Midtown Partnership says work will be conducted this summer to reconstruct the Queensway's median and 'undertake operational improvements' on the highway from the O-Train bridges to Kent Street.
Lane closures, median closures and traffic control staging will be in place in the eastbound and westbound lanes between May 20 and Oct. 30.
'To facilitate the access to Highway 417 median construction including but not limited to removals of existing infrastructure, installation of new drainage, overhead signs, electrical infrastructure, and median barrier wall,' the company said in a statement.
The traffic changes include lanes shifted to the outside to allow for median construction, 'periodic daytime (off peak) and nighttime lane closures,' and the closure of the eastbound right lane at Kirkwood Avenue.
Other construction work underway on Highway 417 includes improvements to the noise barrier and retaining wall replacements from Island Park Drive to Kent Street.
The westbound on-ramp at Parkdale Avenue and the westbound off-ramp at Island Park Drive along Highway 417 are also closed until October for construction related to concrete curb, retaining wall, drainage, noise barrier and landscaping work.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
22 minutes ago
- CBC
Kitchener partners with local startup to lay groundwork for autonomous shuttles
The City of Kitchener has partnered with a local startup to prepare for the potential use of autonomous shuttles in the city's downtown. GeoMate Inc., which is located in downtown Kitchener, creates high-definition maps that are used by autonomous vehicles. The tech company approached the city to create an AI-driven map to provide up-to-date information about on-going construction projects, road closures and future infrastructure projects to autonomous vehicles. "We are kind of taking mapping to the next level with the city and we're mapping all of the key infrastructure that will be needed for autonomous vehicles in the future," said Robert MacGregor, director of partnerships at GeoMate inc. The project is funded by the provincial government through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network. The goal is for Kitchener to one day have autonomous shuttles downtown that will better connect residents to the LRT and public spaces. Brian Bennett is the manager of business development for the city and says the partnership with GeoMate will see city staff provide data and in-kind services in exchange for the mapping. He says the project gives the city "an opportunity to be at the forefront around new innovation, especially with respect to autonomous vehicles. It allows us and gives us an opportunity to be a test bed for autonomous vehicles by automotive manufacturers going forward." How the maps are made The process for creating a map begins with GeoMate Inc. taking aerial photos of the city. The photos are then processed through the company's in-house AI that has been trained to identify key features in transportation networks. These include things like crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes, lane changes and traffic lights. Factors like weather events can be added in real-time as they occur. Kitchener will provide the data about locations of road closures and construction projects that will then be added to the map. MacGregor says GeoMate started as a company that looked at how accessible sidewalks were for people in wheelchairs and with other mobility devices. Now, the company collects data that covers factors like how pedestrian and bike-friendly a part of the city is as well as how accessible a sidewalk is. This is done through a system MacGregor calls a "walking score" which is a rating from zero to 100 that indicates how pedestrian-friendly a location is, based on how close it is to places like grocery stores, schools, parks and restaurants. Testing site and shuttle services MacGregor hopes this project will bring autonomous vehicle testing to Kitchener. "The end goal is to make Kitchener the premier spot for automotive testing. We do a lot of work with automotive companies and a lot of that work happens in countries that aren't Canada," he said. MacGregor says the reason Kitchener is such an ideal spot for testing is because of its large tech hub, tight urban core, proximity to different types of infrastructure and the fact that it gets all four seasons. "For companies looking to test their solutions in the winter, for companies looking to, you know, test it in that slushy fall, spring season, Kitchener offers a really good place to do that," he said. Bennett says they see other practical uses, including shuttles that could move people from LRT and bus stops to other destinations. "We're looking at it from an opportunity to [have] autonomous shuttles downtown between our various structured parking facilities to businesses within the downtown or from the Borden Street LRT station to The Aud during events that are taking place," he said. The city is intrigued by autonomous shuttles, he added because they allow for "more flexibility and more frequency" than a traditional bus or shuttle. MacGregor adds that the maps have applications beyond autonomous vehicles. "These maps are also good for things like robot delivery. They are also just really good at identifying transportation barriers," MacGregor said. Full-fledged autonomy still years away The map is expected to be completed sometime next year. As for when autonomous vehicles will start being used in Kitchener, MacGregor says that the answer is complicated. With the Ontario government and the federal government, there are certain restrictions in place around autonomous driving," he said. MacGregor added that the regulations still allow for new technology to be developed while keeping people safe. "We're not just saying, 'Hey, put your autonomous vehicles on the road and let's see how it goes.' like some other places in North America might be," he said. Bennett says there's no timeline from the city's perspective but their hope is that automotive manufacturers see what they're doing and start planning their future research and development in Kitchener, growing the local economy. He noted before any testing were to take place in the city, though, there would be public consultations. "We want to ensure the safety and security of both the users of the vehicles as well as the general public going forward. So we would ensure that the appropriate safety measures are implemented and in place before this launches," Bennett said. Cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco already allow the autonomous ride-haling service Waymo to operate on their roads. MacGregor says he is more focused on testing in the near future. "For Ontario, I think we're a couple years away from full-fledged autonomy on the road. But we will see people start to test these vehicles sooner than later," he said.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘Makes no sense': Shercom dismayed new tire recycling contract awarded to Ontario company
Shercom Industries president Shane Olson is still trying to understand why the provincial tire recycling regulator signed an agreement with an Ontario company to be the northern processor for scrap tires. 'This makes no sense,' Olson said Monday. 'This is not about stewardship. This is about the wrong direction and the lack of courage to correct it.' On Friday, the Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan (TSS), which is responsible for recycling used tires in the province, struck a deal with Emterra Tire Recycling Ltd. to become the province's second processor, covering the northern half of the province. The Ontario-based company will develop a scrap tire processing facility near Saskatoon and begin accepting tires by 'mid-2026,' according to the announcement. The agreement is the latest development in a multi-year saga that has seen Shercom effectively go from holding a monopoly as the province's only used tire recycler to being shut out of the process entirely. 'And that has come at the detriment of the community, the economy, and of course, the environment,' Olson said. The TSS began exploring the idea of opening a second processing plant in 2021. It was ultimately awarded to American-based Crumb Rubber Manufacturers Co. (CRM) in December of 2022, with a new plant in Moose Jaw to handle the southern part of the province. Shercom subsequently laid off dozens of workers after negotiations with TSS failed in the months that followed and it opted to shut its recycling plant down. 'I think what you're seeing play out is a company that is upset that they've lost their monopoly,' TSS CEO Stevyn Arnt said in a May 2023 interview with CTV News, after the dispute with Shercom came to light. Olson, while standing in front of a $20 million recycling plant Shercom rebuilt in 2017 after a tire fire burned its old one down, said rather than having a Saskatchewan company recycle tires and bring value-added manufacturing to the market, Saskatchewan's used tires will continue to be shipped elsewhere with the economic spinoff being felt in those jurisdictions. The Saskatchewan NDP criticized the province and the Ministry of Environment, which approved the regulator's decision, for appearing to support Saskatchewan businesses and then doing the opposite. 'Our tires are going to go to California, they're going to go to Ontario, they're going to go to those plants. They're going to help promote those jobs — and the profits attached to these contracts are also leaving this province,' said Hugh Gordon, the NDP's critic for Highways and Infrastructure. Olson says the agreement with CRM for the southern district was ultimately not fulfilled, and the company withdrew in April 2025. He said he's disappointed the process continued behind closed doors and was never reopened. With no tire recycler in the province since Shercom's shutdown, scrap tires have been piling up at a yard in Clavet. 'But not only is that pile growing or is now shut down, the supply chain of tires has pushed that backlog all the way back onto the retailers,' Olson said. 'Anybody can drive by a tire store, and they'll see a pile of tires. Some retailers have two, three, four semi loads of tires.' Throughout all of this, Olson said Shercom's attempts to find a solution or meet with the TSS or the province have gone unanswered. Last November, the company filed a statement of claim at Saskatoon Court of King's Bench, seeking at least $10 million in damages against the Government of Saskatchewan, the Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan (TSS) and its CEO. The statement of claim argues Shercom was unfairly excluded from a request for proposals to award a second tire recycler, further claiming the RFP allegedly said it was seeking a 'second processor' and not a 'second location.' Shercom thought it was excluded from the process, according to the lawsuit. None of the allegations have been proven in court, however, Olson said Friday's announcement 'legitimizes' Shercom's claim.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
One person air lifted after serious crash in Innisfil
An Ornge Air Ambulance is pictured in this generic photo. (Photo by Chloe Milovancev) One person is suffering serious injuries after a morning crash in Innisfil. On Tuesday, around 10:30 a.m., South Simcoe Police responded to a two-vehicle collision at Big Bay Point and the 25th Sideroad. Roads remain closed at Big Bay Point, north of the 20th Sideroad and between 20th and 25th Sideroad for the police investigation. Officials confirmed that one person was air lifted to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. South Simcoe Police is advising all drivers to avoid the surrounding area while officers complete their investigation. It is unclear how the crash happened.
