Strandherd Drive is a major

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

serving the community of

Barrhaven Barrhaven is a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located about southwest of the city's downtown core. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 10 ...

in southwest

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Realignment and extension

Up until the mid-1990s, Strandherd Drive was an east-west coursing road extending from Moodie Drive to

Woodroffe Avenue Woodroffe Avenue ( Ottawa Road #15) is a major north-south arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's west end. It runs south from the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway through Baseline Road and Barrhaven to just short of Prince of Wales Drive near ...

. With the introduction of Highway 416 and the growth of Longfields and Chapman Mills, Strandherd Drive has been realigned and has seen an increase in traffic. Standherd Drive begins in the west at an intersection with Fallowfield Road near Highway 416 as a two-lane road. The original portion of the road from Moodie Drive to Cedarview Road has been renamed McKenna Casey Drive and sees little traffic. Heading to Jockvale Road, Strandherd is a high-speed road at ; further east, there is a significant commercial area surrounding the intersection with Greenbank Road. The original part of Strandherd that terminated at Woodroffe has been renamed Deerfox Drive, and the new, higher-speed arterial road that originally ended at Crestway Avenue just east of Woodroffe has been extended to Prince of Wales Drive and across the

Rideau River The Rideau River (french: Rivière Rideau) is a river in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The river flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at the Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is . As explained in a writin ...

Vimy Memorial Bridge

Work to extend the road across the Rideau River by combining a road bridge to connect to another growing community, Riverside South took place in the early 2010s. This bridge connects Strandherd Drive to Earl Armstrong Road in Riverside South. Initial plans for the bridge included a Light Rail track as a part of an

O-Train The O-Train is a light metro transit system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The O-Train system has two lines, the electrically-operated Confederation Line (Line 1) and the diesel-operated Trillium Line (Line 2). Since May ...

extension to Barrhaven, but this project was canceled in 2006. Ottawa City Council cited the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge, soon renamed the

Vimy Memorial Bridge The Vimy Memorial Bridge (previously the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge) is a bridge in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 2014, it crosses the Rideau River, connecting Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven and Earl Armstrong Road in Riverside South. ...

, as one of the priority projects for the future as it would relieve pressure from the Hunt Club Bridge located further north. Delayed several times, the bridge was finished in July 2014. The federal government with in lead Nepean-Carleton MP

Pierre Poilievre Pierre Marcel Poilievre ( ; born June 3, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the leader of the Official Opposition since 2022. Poilievre has served as a member of Parliament (MP) ...

announced $35 million in funding for the project but the majority of the

Ottawa City Council The Ottawa City Council (french: Conseil municipal d'Ottawa) is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 24 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each councillor represents war ...

refused the funding as it was money coming from a previous $200-million Liberal government announcement in 2004 for the light-rail extension. Despite the cancellation, then President of the Treasury Board John Baird left the money available for future transit projects. The Ontario government refused to pledge money as it did not, after the light-rail cancellation, include a rapid-transit corridor or lane.

Ongoing projects

Starting in 2020, a widening project is currently underway to bring Strandherd Drive to four lanes between Maravista Drive and Jockvale Road. At the same time, a road bridge over the Via Rail line is being constructed in place of the original grade crossing. This project is planned to be completed in 2023.

References

{{Ottawa Roads Roads in Ottawa