Are you thinking of heading to LeBreton Flats Park or Parliament Hill for Canada Day? With police expecting hundreds of thousands of people to arrive in the city center on Friday, the following roads will be closed to vehicles from 6 a.m. Friday, July 1, until early Saturday morning. Officials have said plans could change if needed and that people can follow governments and local media for updates. People are being asked to take extra time, wait for delays and consider free public transport on July 1 to improve traffic flow. Consider also Ottawa’s forecast for Friday: a combination of sun and clouds and a high temperature of 29 C, with humidity that makes it feel like the mid-1930s at its peak. There is a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and a 40% chance of rain at night.
Ottawa
While Wellington Street has been closed between Elgin and Bank streets after the weekly winter occupation, the road in front of Parliament Hill will also be closed at many other intersections.
The Wellington closure will now extend to Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, which will be closed on Parkdale Avenue.
Bronson Avenue and Bank, Kent, Lyon and Bay and Commissioner streets will be closed north of Albert Street. Like Wellington, Metcalfe and O’Connor streets have also been closed north of Queen Street for months.
The Queen is closed between Bank and O’Connor.
The Chaudière Bridge will be closed to all users, while the Portage and Alexandra Bridges will be closed to drivers only. The Champlain and Macdonald-Cartier bridges are the two Ottawa-Gatineau bridge options for drivers.
Booth Street is blocked between the Chaudière Bridge and the Albert Bridge. The entire Vimy Place, which is surrounded by LeBreton Flats Park, will be closed.
The nearby Fleet Street will be closed between Booth and Lett. All Lett, Lloyd and Onigam streets will be closed.
Off-road signs on Wellington Street from Parliament Hill on Monday. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)
Friday night, Albert will close between Preston Street and Bronson at 9 p.m. until July 2 at 2 p.m.
Other roads west of downtown Ottawa and south of Albert will remain open to local traffic only, unless otherwise indicated. They are marked in blue on the map above.
Pedestrians and cyclists will find that sections of the Ottawa River city center and Trillium trails will be closed after 4:30 p.m. on holidays.
There are also local events closed in Barrhaven, Kanata, Mooney’s Bay, Orléans and Osgoode.
As in the days of Canada, OC Transpo will offer a free service on July 1st.
Exclusion zone for motor vehicles
As more anti-government protests are expected, Ottawa police have set up a no-go zone – similar to the one set up for the April Rolling Thunder rally. The zone, already in force, prohibits vehicles from participating in rallies or demonstrations. Other motorists can pass, but they can not park and people can roll or walk inside. It extends west to Albert Street at Bayview Station and east to ByWard Market only on July 1, as shown on the map at the top of the story. The vehicle exclusion zone will last at least until 6 am on Monday, July 4th. People parked in the exclusion zone can get a ticket and be towed. (Buntola Nou / CBC)
Gatineau
On the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, Canada Day celebrations are planned at the Place des Festivals Zibi with more roads closed to vehicles. Rue Laurier closes between Alexandre-Taché and Maisonneuve from 6 a.m. so did Alexandre-Taché between Montcalm and Laurier streets. Sections of Eddy, Saint-Jacques, Laval and Jos-Montferrand streets will remain closed. Like OC Transpo, Société de transport de l’Outaouais offers free services.
