Chamberlain realignment delayed
At the Bronson exit from the Queensway eastbound, sidewalks were rebuilt and traffic lights re-installed, because the alignment of Chamberlain with the off-ramp to eliminate the “Bronson jog” has been delayed until 2027.
Photo: Alan Freeman
Chamberlain realignment delayed
By Alan Freeman
The long-promised realignment of Chamberlain Avenue to eliminate a dangerous intersection at Bronson and the Queensway has been quietly delayed until next year by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO). It was supposed to have been completed by 2025.
What it means is that cars coming off the eastbound Queensway on the Bronson ramp and wanting to continue east along Chamberlain will continue to have to turn right onto Bronson and take an immediate left across traffic onto Imperial Avenue just north of Drummond’s gas station and then merge with Chamberlain. That jog has been a traffic hazard for years.
In 2020, the MTO announced that it was going to eliminate the danger as part of its multi-year project to replace bridges, reinforce embankments and improve on and off ramps of the Queensway from Percy to Preston Streets.
The idea is to straighten Chamberlain Avenue by moving it 70 metres to the north, so it will hug the Queensway to the north of where it currently runs just east of Bronson. That would create a new, much safer four-way intersection with Bronson. That was to be made possible by the demolition of the old Ottawa School Board’s warehouse on the site.
The warehouse is long gone, and the embankment has been reinforced, but residents recently realized the realignment wasn’t happening when contractors rebuilt the sidewalk on the east side of Bronson and re-installed traffic lights, that will start working again when construction at the off-ramp is completed.
After several inquiries, the MTO and the City confirmed that the realignment had been delayed until 2027 after a watermain along the Queensway broke during construction in 2024, requiring a re-design of the project. “The Bronson-Chamberlain re-alignment was removed from the current MTO construction contract due to a design issue involving the city’s watermain,” according to Susan Johns, an engineer with the City who called the change “unexpected.”
The realignment, paid for by the MTO, is now tentatively planned for 2027, Johns said.
The delay also means another key portion of the plan is on hold. The new path for Chamberlain would allow the City to dig up the old Chamberlain Street and its south-side sidewalk and permit the expansion of Glebe Memorial Park, an idea promoted for years by the Glebe Community Association.
Angus McCabe, chair of the GCA’s Parks Committee, said the realignment could also allow for the creation of a multi-use pathway just south of the rerouted Chamberlain Avenue that would link with the pathway at Percy.
The problem is that the City still has not budgeted for the pathway and the park expansion, even though the idea was first floated more than five years ago. The GCA’s McCabe said he sees the delay in the realignment as “a silver lining” that could allow the City to fully plan and budget for the park expansion. It could also use the opportunity to update the park’s play structures and splash-pad as well as allow for improved landscaping and perhaps even a fenced-in dog run at Glebe Memorial.
Alan Freeman is a Glebe resident and noted former journalist.