Reconstruction of Lady Grey Drive - Phase 1

Lady Grey Drive was constructed by the Ottawa Improvement Commission, the earliest predecessor of the National Capital Commission (NCC), in 1911-13 along the Ottawa River segment from the rear of the National Gallery of Canada to Sussex Drive, just east of the intersection with Boteler Street.  The limestone cladded retaining wall was built as part of the construction of Lady Grey Drive in 1912 as a response to Frederick Todd's recommendation to build a scenic drive along the Ottawa River between Rideau Hall and Parliament Hill.

 

Lady Grey Drive is a cultural landscape of value as it is one of the earliest scenic parkways developed in the National Capital.  The drive provides uninterrupted views of the Ottawa River and runs along the limestone outcrops that are typical of the underlying geomorphology of the Capital and associated with the landscape of Parliament Hill.

 

The Lady Grey Drive wall is divided into two segments, north and south, distinctly separated by the access road to the Ottawa Rowing Club (ORC) Clubhouse located on the shoreline of the Ottawa River just south of the Macdonald Cartier Bridge.  The ORC Clubhouse is designated as a property of cultural heritage value under the Ontario Heritage Act.

 

Despite multiple repairs over the years, the northern wall segment experienced a partial collapse in 2020. Subsequent investigations determined that both the northern and southern wall segments were unstable and a safety risk to the users of Lady Grey Drive and required full demolition and reconstruction.

 

To address the multiple issues that stem from the deteriorated wall segments and to preserve the cultural heritage and landscape of value of this scenic parkway, the NCC proposes the demolition and reinstatement of the northern and southern wall segments and the complete reconstruction of Lady Grey Drive in a phased manner.

 

Phase 1 will entail the demolition and shoring of the northern wall segment.  The anticipated timeline to commence this phase is the spring / summer of 2023 and its expected time for completion is the winter of 2023-2024.

 

Phase 2 will involve the construction of a new concrete structure for the north wall segment without any cladding or landscaping features.  This phase is anticipated to commence in November 2023.

 

Phases 1 and 2 are part of and will enable the complete reconstruction of Lady Grey Drive, their umbrella project, which will include the cladding and landscaping features of the new north and south wall segments.  The complete reconstruction of Lady Grey Drive is a project component of a continuous multi-use promenade plan that will connect the Rideau Canal Locks and Rideau Falls.  The Rideau to Rideau promenade plan will connect existing public spaces overlooking the Ottawa River.

 

The phased approach will allow the ongoing installation of the Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP) infrastructural project which commenced construction activities along the southern segment of Lady Grey Drive in February 2023.  Specifically, Phase 1 of the Lady Grey Drive project will be completed to allow the construction of the ESAP along the southern wall segment.  Phase 2 will commence following the ESAP project is completed.

 

The specific project components of Phase 1 include the following:

  • Undertake a heritage recording of the limestone retaining wall and ancillary components prior to demolition, including existing landscaping features;
  • Removal and salvaging, to the extent feasible, of potential heritage materials such as the limestones of the retaining wall, railings, lighting posts and fixtures, and other landscaping features; it also includes scaling of the rock face and the appropriate handling, removal and disposal of designated substances;
  • Shoring of the escarpment to enable the future northern wall segment including its foundation; shoring will entail the excavation of potentially contaminated soil and groundwater at the base of the escarpment that will be appropriately identified, managed and disposed of;
  • The cladding and landscaping features of the northern wall segment will be carried out during the complete reconstruction of Lady Grey Drive project component of the future Rideau to Rideau promenade plan.

 

The demolition and shoring of the Lady Grey Drive northern wall segment project will be undertaken mostly on federal lands owned and managed by the NCC.

 

The ORC Clubhouse property and the base at the escarpment of the northern wall segment is not federally owned and is partly located within the 100-year floodplain of the Ottawa River.  Coordination will be required with the ORC Clubhouse and the City of Ottawa as temporary access to this property will be required to carry out some components of Phase 1.  Close coordination is also required and has been initiated with the contractor currently installing the ESAP infrastructure along Lady Grey Drive.

 

Future project phases will require coordination with the National Gallery of Canada and other federal and non-federal stakeholders.

 

As the project proponent, land-owner, provider of federal funds and a federal approval under the National Capital Act to enable the undertaking to proceed, the NCC will be the sole authority responsible for making the section 82 determination required under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) for Phase 1.

 

The main environmental issue of concern that stems from Phase 1 and subsequent phases of the Reconstruction of Lady Grey Drive project includes the potential adverse effects on the physical and cultural heritage of Lady Grey Drive, i.e., its cultural landscape: the limestone outcrops, uninterrupted views of the Ottawa River, curving alignment, etc.

 

To address the potential adverse effects of Phase 1 and subsequent project phases on the physical and cultural heritage of Lady Grey Drive, a Heritage Impact Assessment is being carried out to inform the complete reconstruction of Lady Grey Drive project.

 

To address the potential adverse effects of Phase 1 (and future project phases) on the 100-year floodplain of the Ottawa River, the NCC will contact the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.  To address the potential adverse effects of climate change, the shoring of the northern wall segment, its future concrete structure, cladding and landscaping features will be designed to be resilient to potential more severe and frequent flooding, tornados, accelerated freeze-thaw cycles, etc.

More

Latest update

May 14, 2023 – The public comment period on the project is closed. The National Capital Commission is considering comments received to help inform its determination on whether the carrying out of the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

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Key documents

Key documents
Document Number Document Title File Date
2 Notice of Determination - May 26, 2023
1 Public Notice: Reconstruction of Lady Grey Drive - Phase 1 - Invitation for Public Comments - April 14, 2023

Contacts

National Capital Commission
Environmental Assessment
40 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5A8
Email: IA-EI@ncc-ccn.ca


  • Location

    • Lady Grey Drive (Ontario)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Maintenance activities (fences, walls)

  • Assessment Status

    Completed

  • Start Date

    2023-04-14

  • Proponent

    National Capital Commission

  • Authorities

    • National Capital Commission

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    84511
Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

 

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...within 200 kilometres
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