South Ottawa police station forging ahead despite soil problems
'Unexpected soil conditions' blamed for delay, but chief says issue has been addressed
Construction on the Ottawa Police Service's (OPS) new south district station faced delays due to "unfavourable soil conditions" at the site next to the Rideau River, but the city's police chief says the project is forging ahead.
The new police station at 3505 Prince of Wales Dr. will host 500 sworn officers and civilian employees in a "state-of-the-art" facility that will also house a 911 communications centre plus marine, dive and tactical units. It will also include community policing and collision reporting centres.
The major infrastructure project has been in the works for more than a decade, with initial design work beginning in 2018. After a temporary pause in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a groundbreaking ceremony finally took place in 2023.
At that time, the project was estimated to cost $115 million and be completed in 2026. Now, the budget has increased to about $187 million and the facility is not expected to open before the spring of 2027.
According to OPS, the delay is being blamed on soft soil at the construction site. Geotechnical testing was conducted ahead of the groundbreaking, but the full extent of the problem only became apparent during piling work, police said.
On Friday, Chief Eric Stubbs said the project remains within the expanded budget, and said he's confident the soil problem has now been addressed.
"They're not going to build something if they're not comfortable with the foundation and ground underneath it. They did find issues and resolved it and we have a healthy building," Stubbs told CBC.
Stubbs joined members of the OPS board and local city councillors on Friday at a "topping-off recognition ceremony" to mark the completion of the building's structural framework.
Attendees signed an OPS flag which will be sealed in a time capsule and enclosed in the building when construction is complete.
Stubbs said he's confident there will be no significant delays going forward.
