Highway 417 closing today in Ottawa. Here’s why

Highway 417 is set to close between July 25 and July 29 for bridge replacement, wrote the City of Ottawa in a press release.

The Preston Street Rapid Bridge Lift will close sections of the highway, beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, with reopening scheduled for 6 a.m. on Monday.

“Motorists should re-enter the highway at the Carling and Kirkwood avenues on-ramp,” the municipality said.

According to the city, the project will close the following sections of Highway 417:

• Eastbound lanes between Carling Avenue and Metcalfe Street
• Westbound lanes between Bronson and Parkdale Avenues

Lane reductions and ramp closures are set to begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday and residents should expect the full closure of Highway 417 by 8 p.m.

The City of Ottawa also noted the closure of various access ramps, including:

• Maitland Avenue eastbound
• Carling Avenue eastbound
• Parkdale Avenue eastbound
• O’Connor Street westbound
• Lyon Street westbound
• Bronson Avenue westbound
• Rochester Street westbound  

The following detours will be available during the closure:

Eastbound detour for Highway 417 closure

Booth Street closure on Friday

Additionally, Booth Street northbound — from Carling Avenue to Raymond Street — is scheduled to close from 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 25 to 6 a.m. on Monday, July 29.

Residents should expect significant traffic and transit impacts on July 26. This is related to the highway closure, the closure of the O-Train Line 1 for maintenance, and an Ottawa Redblacks football game at Lansdowne Park, occurring simultaneously.

While peak impacts are anticipated between 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., Ottawa is urging motorists to plan accordingly to allow for extra travel time.

Residents can use OC Transpo’s Travel Planner, the Transit App for updates.

“OC Transpo has added additional resources to further support R1 service and transit employees are monitoring the transit system to make adjustments to service, where possible,” the city wrote.

You can watch the bridge replacement unfold in real time in a livestream here.