People’s Park saved from freeway expansion

It’s a sunny spring day in Old Ottawa East and a group of sunbathers have gathered at what’s known as the People’s Park. Nearby, a man plays fetch with his dog. There is a quiet hum in the air as birds return after a winter away and the water of the Rideau River roars past. Its levels are high due to snow melt. 

This piece of urban oasis has been saved from development. A longstanding plan to build a freeway through the greenspace has been axed. It’s welcome news to the community. 

The cancelled project was part of the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor, conceived of as a four-lane freeway running from Walkley Road to the Queensway. Part of the city’s Official Plan since 1966, it would have run across the river and through the greenspace which borders 170 Lees Ave. The proposed highway would have been the size of roughly 187 football fields. 

Under a proposed change, a future transportation corridor would run from Walkley to Hurdman Station. 

The city says such a change is possible because new data in the 2025 Transportation Master Plan shows a road connection at such a point would not provide any sensible relief. 

“Both Nicholas Street and Highway 417 at Nicholas are already over capacity, and these facilities are not expected to be widened. The travel demand modelling also shows that the northern section would attract about 600 additional vehicles to the area during the AM peak period and would, if built, become congested by 2046,” said city staff in a Road Network Development report published late last month.

It went on to say: “Travel demand from southeast Ottawa will continue to be accommodated on existing corridors including Highway 417, St Laurent Boulevard / Russell Road, Riverside Drive, Bank Street, Main Street, Airport Parkway, O-Train Line 2, the Southeast Transitway, and new frequent transit service connecting southeast Ottawa into the urban transit network.”

That is welcome news to Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard, who has been advocating for the plan to be axed since last year. He said such a freeway development would go against the City of Ottawa’s environmental targets. A petition was started which garnered a few thousand signatures. 

“It was proposed before we had LRT in place, before we had major transit stations, and before we had a lot of multi-residential in the city. In the decades since the city has really evolved and we understand the value of 15-minute neighbourhoods,” Menard told the Lookout. “The official plan has changed and the value of greenspace has become more clear every day as we lose it.”

Peoples Park borders Springhurst Park, and Menard said it’s one of the only pieces of greenspace in the community. It’s used by the thousands of nearby residents, including those who reside in Lees Towers, which has one of the highest concentrations of affordable housing in Capital Ward. 

There is also the cost savings involved. City estimates predicted the portion over the River would cost $150 million. 

There is still a long-term vision for the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor

While this part of the plan is no longer happening, the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor is still very much in the works — though don’t expect to see any movement for a few decades. 

The southern portion has been earmarked in an updated Transportation Master Plan, but it's not recommended for funding until at least 2046. That means the lands will be held until that time — good news for the 420 gardeners who use the Kilborn Allotment Gardens. 

“We have another 20 years before we have to worry about the potential of having that road there in whatever form it would be whether it be transit, a combination of transit and active transportation, or emergency vehicles only,” said Alta Vista Ward Coun. Marty Carr. 

Carr predicts only about 30 per cent of the ward would like to see an active transportation corridor of some kind built now. 

“There are some people that want to see it removed entirely, but  I explain that if we remove it entirely, we have the potential of losing those lands to development. People are then more inclined to want to keep it in the transportation master plan and have it held,” she said.