The City of Ottawa is no longer considering building a freeway that would have run through an expansive greenspace along Lees Avenue next to Springhurst Park, often referred to as the “People’s Park.”
The open space, located in the Old Ottawa East neighbourhood across from the Lees LRT station, has been slated for development as a highway corridor since 1966.
This was part of the long-envisioned Alta Vista Transport Corridor proposal to connect Walkley Road to the Queensway, with a multi-ramp expressway aimed at easing congestion in the central-east part of Ottawa.
Over the years, community members and activists have been calling for the city to remove the proposal from the official transportation plan of the municipality.
On March 31, the City of Ottawa released a Transportation Master Plan update in which it was announced that the northern section of AVTC proposal – where the People’s Park is located – was recommended to be removed. Formal approval of the proposal is expected to follow soon.
“A road connection within this segment would provide no effective congestion relief, primarily due to downstream capacity constraints,” the update states, adding that both Nicholas Street and Highway 417 at Nicholas are over-capacity.
Capital Coun. Shawn Menard, who has been among those most vocal about not wanting a freeway running through the greenspace, released a statement on March 31 spreading the word that People’s Park was no longer in consideration for the AVTC.
“This good news comes after months and years of advocacy from residents, the local community and the councillor’s office,” said Menard’s statement.
Instead, changes to the plan would run the AVTC from Walkley to Hurdman Station, south of the People’s Park on the other side of the Rideau River.
“I commend staff for the work they’ve done on this issue,” Menard said in the statement.
In an interview with Capital Current, Menard said the best word to describe how people are feeling is “relief.”
“People are feeling relief that they’re not going to have a roadway through their park.”
He commended residents who have been speaking up against the proposed freeway, saying the announcement has been a “community victory.”
John McCrea, a retired resident of the area, has lived in Ottawa his whole life, growing up in Old Ottawa East. He and his wife moved back to the neighbourhood in 2020 to retire.
As the couple were out on one of their frequent walks in the park on a sunny Sunday afternoon, McCrea told Capital Current the park is an important asset to the community because of growing residential intensification.
He said the area has a series of parks that go along the Rideau River — including Brantwood Park upstream and Strathcona Park downstream — that are a part of a chain of greenspaces.
“And I think that that’s worth preserving,” McCrea said. “If you spend any time along here, you’ll see hundreds of people doing different things in this area.”
In the interview, Menard also emphasized the importance of keeping the greenspace available. He said the park and a nearby play structure are used by children, runners and bikers move along the riverside path, people are out in the field for picnics — and even javelin practice.
“Where do you ever see javelin being played?” Menard asked. “They (practice) there in an open field safely, and it’s that sort of thing that you just wouldn’t see normally across the city. And this field offers that opportunity for people.”
He said the People’s Park serves as one of the only remaining greenspaces directly available to those in the area.
In addition to the value of maintaining greenspace, Menard cited high costs and updated priorities for why the AVTC would not have been beneficial.
“If you spend any time along here, you’ll see hundreds of people doing different things in this area.”
— John McCrea, local resident and “People’s Park” user
“It would have meant a $150-million cost to get the bridge over the Rideau River, and then the associated interchange,” Menard said.
He also pointed to the fact that urban planning principles for the city are much different from what they were 60 years ago.
“Since that time, the city has obviously evolved and better understands the value of a 15-minute neighbourhood,” Menard said.
The idea of a 15-minute neighbourhood is to allow residents the ability to access amenities within a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transit commute. With the improved public transit the city now has, Menard said the freeway would not have improved commutes and would only have had negative effects on the community.
“Building a freeway with associated emissions next to a playground, school and community centre would have been poor air quality, more public health risks and then, further dividing of our community.”
Menard said he hopes the city will continue to find alternatives to losing valued public greenspaces and increasing car traffic.
City consultations for the new proposal will continue through the spring before expected approval by city council.
