Workers dig away at Lyon and Queen streets to restore water mains in advance of LRT construction. Construction jutted into the intersection requiring police presence to survey traffic.
Ottawa Police were on scene at the intersection of Lyon and Queen streets to survey traffic Wednesday as construction on the major downtown arteries jutted into the intersection.
Queen Street was reduced to just one lane, not completely closed to traffic as an official Ottawa police account had tweeted earlier in the day.
Traffic crawled along as construction workers dug away at the road using extractors and other heavy equipment.
The current goal is to restore water mains in advance of the construction of Ottawa's new LRT next year and in preparation for the winter, according to Brian Bellenger, a senior construction inspector at Morrison Hershfield, one of three companies tasked with the city’s LRT development.
“If we’re within 20 or 30 metres of an intersection they always have police,” says Bellenger.
While the police haven’t issued any public advisories, they have suggested on Twitter to avoid the area if possible.
According to Bellenger, construction at the Queen and Lyon intersection is expected to continue for the next three days.