Queen Elizabeth Driveway (QED) & Colonel By Drive (CBD) Active Transportation Improvements

The National Capital Commission (NCC) proposes a comprehensive active transportation improvement project along QED and CBD adjacent to the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Ontario. These improvements will add unidirectional, physically separated summer‑season bike lanes and a cycle track. The work will occur along QED between Preston Street and Laurier Avenue and along CBD between Hog's Back Road and Daly Avenue.

The project supports NCC policies to provide safer, continuous, sustainable mobility options and helps to separate pedestrians and cyclists. The NCC has reviewed areas where the space is tight or where cyclists and drivers often come into conflict. The project will address these challenges by creating continuous, easy‑to‑follow routes using separated bike lanes, shared‑lane sections, and connections to nearby multi-use pathways.

The project is located entirely on NCC‑owned federal lands. A Federal Land Use, Design and Transaction Approval (FLUDTA) is required under the National Capital Act. The NCC is the project sponsor and long‑term steward of these parkways, with interests in mobility, safety, cultural landscape protection, and active use programming.

The scope of work will include but may not be limited to the following:

  • Repair pavement and catch basins along the canal-side cycling lanes.
  • Install new canal-side bike lanes with buffers and/or seasonal flexible delineator posts.
  • Update pavement markings in tighter areas to create shared-lane segments.
  • Build a 400-meter-long raised pathway along CBD between Laurier Bridge and Corktown Footbridge to improve accessibility and separation from traffic.
  • Construct a retaining wall to support grade changes.
  • Install entry and exit ramps between on-road and off-road cycling facilities.
  • Install new signage.
  • Review traffic speed limits.
  • Plant new trees to compensate for the select removal of trees within the proposed new cycle track.

The QED and QBD corridors are a culturally significant landscape along the Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is characterized by mature trees, multi-use pathways, and sloped embankments. There are multiple bridges and narrow roadway segments (Bank Street Bridge, Fifth Avenue, Pretoria Bridge, Bronson Bridge).

There are areas where soil quality exceeds certain federal or provincial guidelines; however, all soils are classified as non-hazardous. Any excess soil will be re-used or disposed of off-site in accordance with applicable regulations.

Construction will use standard equipment (excavators, pavers, rollers, graders, line‑painting trucks). Construction is planned to begin in Summer 2026 and end in Spring 2027.  

The project's positive impacts include improved cyclist safety and mobility, fewer pedestrian–cyclist conflicts on crowded multi-use pathways and traffic calming through lane narrowing in select locations. During the work there are expected to be lane reductions, localized pathway detours, and construction noise/dust. The NCC will coordinate with the City of Ottawa to reduce traffic disruption during construction.

More

Latest update

March 2, 2026 – 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
1 Notice of Intent to Make a Determination - Start of Public Comment Period - January 29, 2026

Contacts

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


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.

  • Location

    • Queen Elizabeth Driveway (QED) and Colonel By Drive (CBD) (Ontario)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Highways and Roads

  • Assessment Status

    In progress

  • Start Date

    2026-01-29

  • Proponent

    National Capital Commission

  • Authorities

    • National Capital Commission

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    90190

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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