Goodbye traffic circle

Green light for work on McConnell Road

The anticipated redesign of McConnell Road will start in May, running for three months. On February 24, the City’s Executive Committee approved $2.6 million for work on McConnell, between Vanier and Allen. The contract was granted to the Gatineau firm Equinoxe JMP.

Regardless of the delays, Councillor Richard Bégin says he is satisfied. “I am happy that the work can start this spring. For people using McConnell Road, their patience will have been worthwhile,” says Mr Bégin. The delays were mostly due to the delivery of an authorization certificate by the ministère de l’Environnement.

The work will include adding two new four-way stops, one at De Beaumarchais and Jean-de-la-Fontaine streets intersection and another at Petite-Nation. The multiuse path, between Rivermead and Allen Roads, will be extended.

Pedestrian corridors will also be marked at the three stops. A pedestrian crossing will be added at des Manoirs. Finally, all bus stops on the north side will be improved and the small traffic circle installed in 2011 on McConnell will be removed.

The environment certificate was required because a storm drain system needs to be installed for the extension of the multiuse path. Such work falls under Article 32 of the Environment Quality Act.

An authorization request is required for such projects, including plans and specifications, as well as administrative and technical documents to be studied by the regional division of the ministère de l’Environnement.

The authorization request was forwarded in May 2015, and granted on October 22, 2015, but it was too late to start work in 2015 as the cold weather had arrived.     
(Transl.: CB)