Ottawa

Avoid the parkway: SJAM closed all weekend

The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway will be closed both directions this weekend to allow workers to connect a new temporary detour.

Closure needed to allow workers to connect a detour road

Expect some delays this week on the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway near the LeBreton Bridge. (David Donnelly/CBC)

The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway will be closed in both directions for construction this weekend between Parkdale Avenue and Booth Street.

The closure begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 26, and ends at 6 a.m. on Monday, July 29.

It will affect cyclists who use the parkway on Sunday mornings for the Sunday Bikedays event. They will be diverted to the Ottawa River Pathway from Onigam and Slidell streets, as well as at Vimy Place.

The closure will allow crews to connect a temporary detour road to the parkway, which in turn will allow work to remove the LeBreton Bridge to begin.

The bridge will be demolished, with a replacement set to be completed in July 2020.

The detour road will have a similar capacity to the parkway but with a speed limit of 40 km/h instead of 60 km/h.

The project is part of the National Capital Commission's infrastructure budget following a $55-million investment from the federal government.

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