Deanne Pittman, Centretown News
University of Ottawa students climb onto a crowded bus at Laurier station. Starting April 24, OC Transpo will close off the Transitway between Laurier and Lees stations to accomodate construction.Students at the University of Ottawa say the timing of an upcoming closure of one of the main bus stations on campus could not be more inconvenient.
OC Transpo officials announced Feb. 10 that they would be closing the section between Lees and Laurier bus stations on April 24 as part of the city’s ongoing light rail transit construction. This section is one of the busiest, and its closure comes three days before students finish final exams.
“It is definitely inconvenient for students who have exams on those last three days,” says Tara Beauport, a fourth-year political science student. “It doesn’t seem that big of a deal since it’s only three days, but for people who use the station often like me, all these route changes aren’t something we want to deal with on top of worrying about exams.”
Although the Laurier bus station will remain open, Beauport says closing another main university station could mean even more delays — not just for students, but for other commuters.
“Laurier is already a high-volume intersection, so to just pack even more people into an already very busy area doesn’t seem like the best move,” she says. “I don’t really understand why they couldn’t wait another three days.”
The timing of the closures could not be helped, said Steve Cripps, director of the office overseeing the LRT project. He said the Rideau Transit Group could not afford any delays in their schedule.
A section of the transitway between Hurdman and Lees was already closed Dec. 10, diverting buses to Albert and Scott streets.
University officials and transit staff say they are working to inform students of the closures and alternative routes, through ads, maps and announcements. More buses are also being considered to further minimize inconveniences.
“The university has been working with the City to limit and mitigate the impacts,” says Néomie Duval, a spokesperson for the University of Ottawa, in an email.
Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury says these closures and route changes are going to be a challenge for commuters. But he also says it is a sign of progress.
“The timing is extremely unfortunate … but we do have to prepare the remaining part of the transitway to receive the rail tracks,” says Fleury. “In a way it demonstrates that the LRT is a real project, since most of the work has been underground, and now we’re at that final impact stage.”
The closures and alternate routes will be in effect until the rail line opens in 2018.
“The closure is obviously going to also affect students taking summer classes and from what I know, travelling from Hurdman is a hassle enough, so there is going to be a whole load of adjusting for commuters in general come April,” says Beauport. “I’m just hoping that in the end the LRT will open on time and all these current hassles will be worth it.”
The majority of buses will be diverted to Nicholas Street to serve the east side of the campus. The sidewalk along the transitway will also be closed.