Ironman competition will close major roads this weekend
Most of the closures begin Sunday 6 a.m., with some lasting until midnight
Ottawa is set to host its first Ironman competition on Sunday, leading to a series of road closures across the city.
The 226 kilometre trek begins with a 6 a.m. swim at Britannia Beach, followed by a 180 kilometre bike ride along the parkways of the city. Participants will then run 42.2 kilometres to the finish line on Murray Street.
According to the City of Ottawa's website, early road closures for the sprawling racecourse begin Friday 9:30 a.m. with the Alexandra Bridge. The bridge is scheduled to open Monday at noon, the website said.
Portions of Sussex Drive will be closed from 5 a.m. Saturday until 6 p.m. Monday.
Several rolling closures begin when the participants jump into the Ottawa River for their bright and early Sunday swim.
The National Capital Commission (NCC) expects the Kichi Zībī Mīkan parkway to reopen between Carling Avenue and Island Park Drive after 10 a.m. The rest of the parkway should reopen after 4 p.m., according to the NCC.
The commission said Colonel By Drive and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway, which are major parts of the bike course, will reopen in the late afternoon and early evening respectively.
However, the Queen Elizabeth Driveway and the NCC Scenic Driveway, which make up most of the race's final leg, won't reopen until after midnight.
Travel between Ottawa and Gatineau is expected to be slowed, as the Alexandra, Champlain, Chaudière and Portage bridges are closed for all or most of the day, leaving the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge as the sole interprovincial bridge open for traffic.
Michelle McElligott, City of Ottawa Senior Specialist for Traffic Management Events, said detour routes and signs will provide alternatives for motorists.
"You can use our local highways, the 417 and 174 there are still some lingering construction impacts, so we really do encourage the use of public transit, buses," McElligot said. "Many of the spectator areas are easily accessible by the light rail."
The City of Ottawa is recommending its traffic map with live updates as a resource for travels.
Sunday's Road Closures
The NCC provided CBC with a list of closures and the expected duration for areas it owns:
Sunday 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Kichi Zībī Mīkan (Carling Avenue to Island Park Drive).
- Island Park Drive (Clearview Avenue to Kichi Zībī Mīkan).
Sunday 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Kichi Zībī Mīkan (Island Park Drive to Vimy Place).
- Colonel By Drive (expected to reopen at 4:30 p.m.).
- Portage Bridge (northbound lane).
- Champlain Bridge.
Sunday 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway (Princess Avenue to St Joseph Boulevard).
- Rockcliffe Driveway (Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway to Princess Avenue).
Sunday 10 a.m. to midnight
- Queen Elizabeth Driveway (stretch between Lawrence Freiman Lane and Pretoria Bridge reopens at 1 a.m.).
- NCC Scenic Driveway (Prince of Wales Drive to Holland Avenue).
- Ottawa River Pathway from Parliament Hill to Canal Lane (reopens Monday at 1 a.m.).
- Canal Lane from Ottawa River Pathway to Lawrence Freiman Lane (reopens Monday at 1 a.m.).
- Lawrence Frieman from Canal Lane to Queen Elizabeth Driveway (reopens Monday at 1 a.m.).