Woodroffe Avenue Watermain Project

Ward 3 Office
May 2, 2024
1 min read

From the City of Ottawa

Part 4 - Reinstatement works for Woodroffe near Norice st

First stage of lane closures for reinstatement works (starting May 7th)

The final reinstatement works on Woodroffe north of Norice are planned to commence next week. The reinstatement of the final paving and pavement marking is scheduled to start at 6am on Tues May 7th and be completed same-day prior to the PM traffic peak. To facilitate the paving and pavement marking, a lane reduction is required on southbound Woodroffe Ave from approximately 150m north of Norice to 50m south of Norice. Cyclists will be detoured to the MUP on the west side of Woodroffe. Paid duty police will direct traffic at Woodroffe and Norice. Below is a markup showing the Woodroffe southbound lane closures at Norice:

This traffic impact will be posted on the Traffic Impacts Public Service Announcement page and a Traffic Services social media post will be also be issued.

At a later date there will also be landscaping reinstatement works on the west side of Woodroffe, north of Norice. The landscaping work is scheduled to be completed by the end of May. Information about the traffic impacts during the landscaping work (if any) will be communicated prior to the work.

Part 3 - Reinstatement works for Woodroffe near Slack rd

Second stage of lane closures for reinstatement works (after first stage)

The second stage will be the reinstatement of the final paving, pavement marking, and landscaping on southbound Woodroffe. This will involve reducing southbound Woodroffe to one lane from approximately 100m north of Slack to approximately 650m north of Grenfell Cres during off-peak hours. The Slack Road right left-turn lane onto southbound Woodroffe will be closed when the Woodroffe southbound lane closure is in place. Below are markups showing the lane closures associated with the southbound Woodroffe reinstatement work:

First stage of lane closures for reinstatement works (Starting April 29th)

The final reinstatement works on Woodroffe south of Slack Rd are planned to commence next week. Starting Mon Apr 29th, there will be periodic lane reductions on Woodroffe Ave at Slack Rd outside of the traffic peak hours. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of May.

The first stage will be preparation for the reinstatement of the streetlighting to the Woodroffe center median, and reinstating the concrete centre median. This will involve reducing Woodroffe to one lane in both directions from Slack Rd to approximately 650m north of Grenfell Cres during off-peak hours. The Slack Road right left-turn lane onto southbound Woodroffe will be closed when the Woodroffe southbound lane closure is in place. Below is a markup showing the lane closures associated with the Woodroffe median work south of Slack:

Part 2 - Woodroffe near Norice st and David dr

Southbound lane reductions along Woodroffe Avenue for ongoing watermain repairs (February 29 to Spring 2024)

Update 2: March 4th: From Mon Mar 4 to Fri Mar 8, lane closures will be outside of the PM peak traffic hours of 3pm to 6pm. At times the left-turn from David Drive onto southbound Woodroffe will be detoured.

Implementation of the traffic management during the watermain repair work will start on Fri Mar 8th, including during peak traffic hours.

Left-turns from southbound Woodroffe onto Norice won’t be permitted during the lane closures.

A minimum of one southbound lane on Woodroffe will remain open at all times during construction, but to help reduce the volume of traffic on southbound Woodroffe between Baseline and Hunt Club, signage for a detour will be in place.

OC Transpo will have additional buses scheduled to help mitigate the transit impacts.

Update 1: February 29, 2024 – Starting Monday, March 4, sections of Woodroffe Avenue, from approximately 150 metres north of David Drive to approximately 50 metres south of Norice Street, will be reduced to one lane southbound.

The southbound lane closure is related to ongoing watermain repair work as part of the Woodroffe Avenue Watermain Repair Project. The watermain repair work will involve excavation in the southbound lanes of Woodroffe Avenue, replacement of sections of watermain, and reinstatement of the road.

This work and the remaining project work is expected to be completed in spring 2024.

Traffic impacts and OC Transpo

Traffic delays around the construction zone are expected. Signage will be in place to notify residents of the impacted area and applicable detours. Residents are encouraged to consider alternate routes where possible.

OC Transpo routes will be maintained through the construction zone.

Local access, pedestrians, and cyclists

Access for pedestrians and cyclists through the construction zone will be maintained but may be detoured at times. Access to local businesses and private properties will be maintained at all times.

Stay informed! Visit ottawa.ca for additional details and specific traffic impacts.

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

Part 2 Completed - Lanes Reopened

Commissioning of the repaired section of the Woodroffe Ave watermain at Norice St has been completed. The watermain was returned to service on Wednesday and Drinking Water Services demobilized yesterday.

The final site reinstatement works will be completed later in the spring. Information about the traffic impacts during springtime reinstatement work will be communicated closer to the date.

Part 1 - Woodroffe near Slack Rd

Part 1 Completed - Lane reopening (February 8, 2024)

The Woodroffe Ave large diameter watermain repair project temporary reinstatement work has been completed. Both Woodroffe southbound lanes and the Slack left-turn lanes were fully opened yesterday prior to the PM traffic peak. Lanes remain open with the exception of as-needed localized closures of the Woodroffe right southbound lane

Project Begins (January 24, 2024)

Starting today, Wednesday, January 24, Woodroffe Avenue will be reduced to one lane southbound, from approximately 100 metres north of Slack Road to approximately 120 metres south of Slack Road, until further notice. One of the Slack Road left-turn lanes will be closed when the southbound lane closure is in place.

The southbound lane closure is related to work being done as part of the Woodroffe Avenue Watermain Repair Project. Further excavation into one of the southbound lanes is required to continue repairs to the underground watermain.

Traffic delays are expected. Signage will be in place to notify residents of the impacted area but residents are strongly encouraged to consider alternate routes where possible.

The City of Ottawa recognizes the impacts of construction on the day-to-day activities of residents and is working to restore the southbound lane as quickly as possible.

Stay informed! Visit ottawa.ca for additional details and specific traffic impacts.

Water Pressure Notice (January 24, 2024)

Many of you are probably wondering why the Woodroffe water main project is going to take so long, or why is it even happening in the first place. Let's dive into it!

Some of you may remember, in 2007, when this Woodroffe watermain burst near Hunt Club, it left Barrhaven and the surrounding communities with significantly lower water pressure, causing major impacts for our community's water usage.

At almost 50 years old, the watermain is expected to last another decade and a half or so before its replacement.

Presently, the pipe is equipped with wire sensors which monitor movement and the structural integrity of the pipe. It was those wire sensors which alerted staff about the location, who then used predictive measures and modelling to determine that a repair was needed there, confirmed by on-site inspections.

This proactive catch is good news, as another incident to our water infrastructure would be much more disruptive than the current repairs.

The first step in the repair process was to shut down the section of the water main requiring repair. The shut down produces a minimal reduction in water pressure, up to three psi (pounds per square inch) lower during peak usage periods.

Homes and businesses are typically supplied with anywhere between 45 and 80 psi, so the effects of that minimal reduction may vary slightly from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. For example, a reduction from 50 to 47 psi is much more noticeable than a reduction from 80 to 77 psi.

City staff chose the winter months to complete these repairs as water demand is lower, reducing impacts. The project is expected to take 8 weeks (until mid-March), after which the pipe will re-enter service and water pressure should return to normal.

Built in to those eight weeks is some contingency time in case crews uncover minor issues on abutting sections of pipe.

Any major updates will be communicated through the newsletter and social channels.

Preparation Work (January 15, 2024)

Starting Monday, January 15, work will begin to repair the underground watermains along Woodroffe Avenue, from Slack Road to 650 metres north of Grenfell Crescent. This work is part of the Woodroffe Avenue Watermain Repair Project and is expected to take approximately eight weeks. From Monday, January 15 to Friday, January 19 between 9 am and 3 pm, southbound Woodroffe Avenue will be reduced to one lane at times from Slack Road to 650 metres north of Grenfell Crescent.

The watermain repair work will involve excavation of the west shoulder and outer southbound lane of Woodroffe Avenue, replacement of sections of watermain, followed by the reinstatement of the road and shoulder.

Signage will be in place to notify residents of the impacted area. While northbound and southbound lanes are being maintained, some delays and slowdowns can be expected while driving through the construction zone. Residents may wish to consider alternate routes where possible.

Stay informed! Visit ottawa.ca for additional details and specific traffic impacts.

Preparation Work (November - December 2023)

UPDATE 2

December 8, 2023 --- The schedule for the off-peak lane reductions on Woodroffe, between Slack road to Grenfell cres, will be extended to include Mon Dec 11 to Wed Dec 12 between 9am and 3pm. Both direction will be reduced to one lane.

UPDATE 1

November 29, 2023 – From Tuesday, December 5 to Friday, December 8 between 9 am and 3 pm, Woodroffe Avenue will be reduced to one lane in both directions from Slack Road to 650 metres north of Grenfell Crescent. This work is part of the Woodroffe Avenue Watermain Repair Project scheduled for early January 2024.

The reduction is required for the removal of the centre concrete median. This is a preparatory step in advance of the future repair and replacement to sections of the Woodroffe Avenue large diameter watermain.

In order to maintain two southbound lanes during the watermain work, a section of the concrete centre median will be removed to allow for a temporary southbound lane. The removal of the centre median includes a temporary streetlighting relocation, which will be completed in advance of watermain construction.

Details regarding the planned watermain work for January 2024 will be communicated to residents in the coming weeks.

Traffic management

Construction is during off-peak hours and road signage will be in place to notify residents of the impacted zones. Residents can expect delays and may wish to consider alternate routes where possible.

Stay informed! Visit ottawa.ca for additional details and specific traffic impacts.