During the election in 2018, whenever I spoke to a resident that lived adjacent to Jeanne d’Arc Blvd, there was inevitably one topic that would always come up, the vibrations and noise that come from the roadway. Well beyond the levels heard from other arterial streets, it was clear that something was very wrong with Jeanne d’Arc Blvd, and was pointedly one of my first meetings with staff to follow up on.
As was explained, when Jeanne d’Arc was built, the former City of Gloucester used a style of sewer placement that the City of Ottawa no longer allows. The catch basins and sewer grates are located on the main roadway surface, rather than out of the way of vehicles, along the road’s edge. Sadly, this means that every vehicle that drives over an uneven grate, or hits it at an angle, causes vibrations and noise, this is of course more pronounced when a larger vehicle such as a truck or bus drives over them.
When I met with City Staff, they explained that the original timeline for the repairs and resurfacing of Jeanne d’Arc (Innes Blvd to St. Joseph Blvd.) was not for another seven years. Obviously finding this unacceptable for so many impacted residents, staff at my urging, have moved up their evaluation of the roadway and agreed with my concerns that the roadway is in need of more urgent repairs than the existing timeline allowed. In particular, they identified the area around the Orléans Blvd intersection as the area most pressing, due to serious road deterioration. I was then able to have this work moved up, as the Department was able to secure the funds for advancing this portion of the full project up to this year.
This work is not a short-term band-aid, nor a quick replacement of the top layer of asphalt, but will be a full resurfacing of the roadbed to ensure that the improvements last well into the future. Specific to the sewer ironworks, this project will also work to help correct that issue, by tearing up the road right down to the sewers and readjusting and insulating the ironworks to reduce the vibrational impact of vehicles striking the grates. In addition to this section of Jeanne d’Arc being resurfaced, this year will also see specific ironworks repairs being done further south on Jeanne d’Arc towards Innes, to control the sewer-led vibrations and noise, as preparation for the full resurfacing and repair that is now also being moved up in the construction schedule. As many are aware, the repair work on the catch basins, sewer covers, and other ironworks has now begun and should be completed in the coming weeks.
I will be hosting a Townhall with City staff to share more information about this work and the future plans for Jeanne d’Arc on June 3, 2021 at 6:30 pm. I have asked that the City include information about the Townhall in a mailed construction notice going out to all residents who are adjacent to the roadway (see copy below). The Townhall will have staff from various City departments and will be covering topics such as the vibrations, the noise, the construction project, and the truck traffic on Jeanne d’Arc Blvd.
For those residents that wish to attend the June 3, 2021 Townhall, you can RSVP by sending an email to Laura.Dudas@ottawa.ca.
I want to be unambiguous: permanent solutions to control the noise and vibrations along this roadway are absolutely a priority for me and I will continue to work with City Staff to advocate for residents, as we press for the full and complete repairs to this major arterial roadway. For too long, residents who back on to this road have had to deal with the effects of this crumbling infrastructure impacting their daily lives and enjoyment of their homes.
