City transportation committee approves over $60M for Findlay Creek widening, Earl Grey Drive underpass

Should the Draft Budget 2022 pass at City Council, major road construction projects — like the widening of Bank Street in Findlay Creek — will have the funding to go ahead.

On Wednesday, December 1, the city’s transportation committee approved its portion of the draft budget, which would allocate $62 million towards the Findlay Creek widening, as well as an Earl Grey Drive underpass.

In all, the committee approved $427.5 million worth of capital funding for transportation infrastructure at its Wednesday meeting.

With this money, the city could see improvements with its roads, bridges, culverts, sidewalks, pathways and intersections.

It could also mean investments in integrated infrastructure projects and lifecycle replacements for the city’s fleet.

And the city’s roads, parking, traffic, transportation and fleet services would have a gross operating budget of $338 million.

The approved capital budget provides $194 million for the integrated programs, which involves $76 million for road resurfacing.

Integrated projects — which reduce costs by coordinating underground infrastructure work with the reconstruction of roads, curbs, sidewalks and pathways — would get $118 million dedicated to its plans.

Upon approval, the city would be committing $43 million to renew and replace fleet vehicles and equipment on top of $11.5 million to renew pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

Making roads safer for all users means allocating $7.2 million in projects under the Strategic Road Safety Action Plan in an effort to reduce fatalities and major injury collisions. This involves adding automated speed cameras in another 12 school zones across Ottawa in 2022.

The road operation budget would see an increase of $3 million, bringing the total to $135.5 million to help the City continue to maintain Ottawa’s roads, sidewalks and pathways in the winter.

City Council will consider the Draft Budget 2022 on Wednesday, December 8.