Digging begins for west Ottawa Stage 2 O-Train tunnel

Ground is broken and construction is underway on Ottawa's Stage 2 Light Rail Transit (LRT) tunnel that will run under the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and Byron Linear Park. 
 
The City of Ottawa explains, the tunnel will be built using a 'cut-and-cover' construction method. To prepare for tunnel construction, traffic on the parkway has been shifted, and underground utilities are being relocated. Excavation will start at the surface and support walls will be installed as the tunnel gets deeper.  
 
East-West Connectors (EWC), the contractor building the Stage 2 east and west O-Train extensions, are expected to build permanent tunnel infrastructure prior to backfilling to surface level. 

The city says work will be carried out in stages to minimize impacts on pedestrians, cyclists, and local traffic. When construction is complete, the plan for Byron Linear Park includes more trees, less pavement, more public art, and additional plaza space for local events. 

“The start of tunneling on the next phase of Ottawa's LRT shows that, in the face of adversity, we're continuing to build up important public transit that people rely on every day,” says Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna. “Seventy-seven per cent of Ottawans will live within 5 km of the LRT, and Stage 2 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 110,000 tonnes and help get cars off the roads.” 
 
The tunnel will be three kilometres long and extend from Dominion Station to north of Lincoln Fields Station, travelling underneath the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and Byron Linear Park. 

It will be one of two cut-and-cover tunnels in the Stage 2 O-Train West Extension project. The second will be the 270 metre Connaught tunnel that will link Lincoln Fields Station with Queensview Station, travelling underneath Connaught Avenue. 
 
The Stage 2 LRT West Extension will add 15 kilometres of rail and 11 new stations to extend O-Train Line 1, the Confederation Line, from Tunney’s Pasture to Lincoln Fields, where it will split, travelling south to Baseline Station and west to Moodie Drive. There will also be a light maintenance and storage facility located at Moodie Drive. The project is expected to be complete in 2025.  
 
The west extension is one of three projects that make up Stage 2 LRT. 

Line 1 is also being extended east from Blair Station to Trim Road in Orléans, and O-Train Line 2, the Trillium Line, is being extended south from Greenboro Station to Limebank Road in Riverside South, with a link to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.  

“Stage 2 LRT will connect our communities, major employment centres, post-secondary institutions, shopping and recreation destinations, and arts and culture hotspots,” says Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. “It’s good news for our environment, supports healthy commuting, and gives residents more options on how they get around the city.”
 
The Stage 2 LRT Project is a $4.66-billion project that is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa.