Greenbank Road realignment to break ground next year after decades-long delay

Even on a good day, getting in and out of Barrhaven’s Half Moon Bay can be a challenge. Commuters in the community of more than 40,000 are funneled onto roads built to be rural concessions, never meant to handle suburban traffic. What was once an expanse of barns and farm fields has been replaced by rows of near-identical homes.

This wasn’t the plan. When Half Moon Bay was first built in the early 2000s, the plan was to realign Greenbank Road — a project that promised a wider, safer, more accessible route for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.

A 2007 article in the Ottawa Citizen announced plans for 4,500 homes to be built on 600 acres of land, with Greenbank Road realigned to become the northern and western boundary of the new community with Cambrian Road marking its southern border.

But the plan kept getting delayed, and work was not expected to commence until 2030 at the earliest with a completion date in 2032. That was until recently, when more money was allocated in the 2026 Draft City Budget for the first phase of work to begin next spring.

Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill, who has been advocating to fast-track the work since before he was elected in 2022, recently told the Lookout he was ecstatic to see shovels soon go in the ground.

“It is a critically important infrastructure program because the whole Half Moon Bay community was approved and built on the promise of the Greenbank Road realignment. Given that has not been followed it has been super frustrating for the residents,” Hill told the Lookout.

Hill said site preparation has already started and some hydro poles have been moved to accommodate the construction. Phase One of the project includes a new four-lane arterial roadway along with pedestrian and cycle infrastructure work along Greenbank from Riverboat Heights to Cambrian Road.

“We are going to keep paving until we run out of money,” said Hill, who hopes he can secure additional funding to have a new bridge built to connect with St. Joseph High School.

The Barrhaven councillor is also looking forward to the nearby $5 million Barnsdale-Highway 416 interchange that is slated to be built. In March 2024, the province committed to funding it as part of its $543 million “New Deal for Ottawa".

The realigned Greenbank Road will benefit new retail opening in the community. Last month, Food Basics opened a new 43,000-square-foot store that includes a pharmacy. It is the first major retailer to open in the suburb, which Hill called a “retail desert.” There are also plans for another Loblaws-owned grocer to open alongside a pharmacy and coffee shop.

Jason MacDonald, who is chair of the Barrhaven Business Improvement Association (BIA), said he is excited about the opportunity the realignment will bring to Barrhaven – particularly when the bridge is constructed during a later phase.

“I remember squeezing across that bridge when I was a kid going with my mom to visit her friend in Manotick, and worried that it would not hold up the car,” MacDonald told the Lookout. {Here we are over 40 years later, and an entire community is still squeezing over that same bridge.“The bottleneck it causes has been staggering and it impacts our business community,” he continued. “For Half Moon Bay residents, it might be easier to zip and get something in Manotick because then you are not battling the traffic the same way.”

MacDonald said he is excited about the new businesses that are already opening in Half Moon Bay, including an optometrist, barber shop, and convenience store.

In other parts of Barrhaven, the community is gearing up to house a new 3.1-million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment centre, which is currently under construction in the South Merivale Business Park. Given the amount of growth in that area, the Barrhaven BIA, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary later this month, is planning to expand its territory to include the new businesses that are opening.

On the other side of the community, next to the Costco on Strandherd Drive, MacDonald said a new office building could be coming. A second hotel is also slated to soon open next door with a third hotel also planned nearby.

“That is going to be huge because with all the sports we have here and sports tournaments, people are needing to stay in hotels that are outside the community, like Bells Corners. That neighbourhood is only a fraction of the size we are and look at how many motels they have,” he said.

As the population of Barrhaven climbs to over 110,000 people, there has been a growing desire to build a downtown in the middle of the community that would include shops, housing, and a civic centre that would house an arts space and new library.

In 2019, City Hall seems game for the idea; city council approved the plan for the current shopping district off Riocan Drive that would create up to 12,600 jobs and build 11,000 new dwelling units. Earlier this year, the City of Ottawa’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee approved the purchase of a 4.18-acre parcel of vacant land from the South Nepean Development Corporation at a cost of $10 million.

Hill said construction on the civic and cultural centre component is expected to start in two years with doors opening in 2030. In 2022, the provincial and federal governments gave a joint announcement saying they would commit more than $51 million to the project, with even more money allocated during last year’s city budget.

“Barrhaven Downtown will add facilities we don't currently have but desperately need,” said Hill. “We have a very diverse community out in Barrhaven with a lot of new Canadians who don't have adequate cultural space. 

“They want to have music, dance, and food, but they need to go to Greely, Centrepointe, or the Ron Kolbus Centre at Britannia Beach for their events.”

Hill said if he gets his wish, surface-level parking will be limited and moved underground or nearby to free up outdoor space for events. He also envisions an outdoor rink and Christmas tree lightings in the winter and food truck events in the summer.

Barrhaven had previous plans for a “mixed-use, high-density community serviced with BRT (bus rapid transit) and LRT connections” in 2006, but it was ultimately cancelled due to “overly restrictive policies” that created little development, a former secondary plan document read.

With this vision expected to go ahead, Hill said it will align nicely with the Greenbank Road project and a new massive two-tower apartment project which is planned nearby at the corner of Marketplace Avenue and McGarry Terrace.

“We are seeing a lot of residential density here so it’s always good to have infrastructure in there earlier,” he said.