The east end LRT extension should be open by next fall, according to Michael Brossoit, the stakeholder relations manager for the Rail Construction Program. Exactly when it will open this fall is anybody’s guess. The exact date will be depend on how long it will take to complete testing and get the necessary safety approvals.
In the meantime, work will continue on the five LRT stations at Montreal Road, Jeanne d’Arc Blvd., Orléans Blvd., Place d’Orléans and Trim Road.
Other work will continue on the approaches to the stations on Montréal Road, Jeanne d’Arc Blvd. and Orléans Blvd. including new pavement and line painting. Highway 174 will also be resurfaced between Blair and Trim and the lanes returned to their original alignment in both directions.
Lastly, work will be completed on the expanded Trim Road park and ride lot. Work on the Park & Ride lot across from Place d’Orléans was only recently finished, but the improvements to the intersection at the westbound off ramp and Champlain Road is still a work in progress as is the resurfacing on the Champlain Road overpass.
For commuters in Orléans who have had to live through three years of lane closures and at least three extensions of the projected opening date, news that the project is approaching the finish line is music to their ears.
The completion also couldn’t come soon enough to a transit service that has yet to rebound from pre-COVID pandemic ridership figures and the east end’s four city councillors who get asked about it on a near-daily basis.
Before the final testing can begin on the east end extension, the city and the East-West Connectors consortium must agree that the construction phase of the project is “substantially completed”. That hurdle is expected to be cleared in a few weeks.
The final testing will be conducted in July and run into August. Once the testing is completed, the work has to be given the necessary safety approvals.
If all goes well, the consortium will officially turn the east end extension over to the city and Orléans residents will be able to ride the O-Train from Trim Road to Tunney’s Pasture.
When the east extension finally is operational, it will be integrated with OC Transpo’s New Ways to Bus program which will see more than 100 routes improved, replaced, or added across the city.
According to OC Transpo’s website, the new system will be more consistent and better connected to key destinations including the LRT stations along Lines 1, 2 and 4.
To get regular updates on the LRT extension, including lane closures, visit octranspo.com/en/o-train-extension/.
ORLEANS FARMERS MARKET every Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre on Tenth Line Road. Shop the freshest seasonal produce, meat and dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts and more while getting to know the folks who grew and made it.
STATION 71 PANCAKE BREAKFAST from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Fire Station 71 in Navan with a freewill donation to the CHEO Foundation. Come enjoy pancakes with local maple syrup Erabliere des Wats Sugar Bush, local coffee from Papa Bean coffee roastery, and sausages and bacon from Lavergne Meat. After breakfast check out the Navan Fall Fest at the Navan Fairgrounds.
