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Motorists once again endured a slow commute home across much of Ottawa Friday afternoon as the closure of Highway 417 sent a flood of cars and trucks onto smaller, arterial roads.
Highway 417 is closed between Metcalfe Street and Carling Avenue to replace the bridge over Booth Street.
The closure began at 8pm on Thursday and is scheduled to end at 6am on Monday.
On Friday afternoon, traffic cameras showed a steady flow of vehicles on detours and alternate routes. Carling Avenue, Baseline Avenue, Fischer Avenue, Hunt Club Road, Riverside Drive and Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway were all congested.
Motorists also had long lines to exit the 417 Freeway before the closure.
Watch live: Booth Street bridge replacement to close section of Highway 417 for more than three days
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During the morning commute, traffic cameras showed westbound cars and trucks backing up single file from the Metcalfe Street exit to Vanier Parkway and sometimes beyond. Eastbound traffic was extending from the Carling Avenue exit through Woodroffe Avenue.
The detours forced westbound drivers off the freeway at Metcalfe Street and pushed them onto Catherine Street, then Bronson Avenue, then Carling Avenue and finally back onto the freeway.
Eastbound drivers were diverted off the freeway at the Carling Avenue exit, told to turn onto Bronson Avenue, then Chamberlain Avenue and finally onto Isabella Street before re-entering on the road at the Metcalfe Street ramp.
You can track traffic conditions on the City of Ottawa online map:
With archives from Andrew Duffy