Better South Keys Centre, Local Project Updates – May 2025

A Lower Speed Limit for Bank Street, A New Pedestrian Bridge over Hunt Club Road, and More! BSKC’s Spring 2025 Updates

Bank Street Bridge Cycling Improvements: The City has a project underway to develop design options for a comfortable cycling connection crossing the bridge, connecting Johnston Road to Kitchener Avenue. At Kitchener Avenue, the project would connect to cycle tracks planned for construction in 2027/28. 

Status: public consultation is expected on this in Spring/Summer 2025 with implementation in 2026 as part of resurfacing the roadway.

Greenboro Park-and-Ride Redevelopment: This site has been identified by the City as an affordable housing development opportunity. From Sep-Dec 2024, Better South Keys Centre volunteers engaged with Carleton University Architecture students to develop redevelopment concepts for the site.

Status: The City is currently studying the economics of this redevelopment as part of the ongoing Transportation Master Plan update, including how it could affect transit ridership. 

Bank/Johnston Safety Improvements: This intersection is a major pedestrian safety concern for people accessing transit and the mall on foot. BSKC has advocated for improvements here and the City has identified that signalized left turns are a desired safety measure, but these are not at the top of the priority list and it could be a long time before they are implemented.

Status: There is no funding or timeline for this improvement, but the project to add bike lanes over the Bank Street Bridge could provide an opportunity to implement this.

Bank Street 50km/h Reduction: Driving south from Walkley, Bank Street becomes 60 km/h just before the rail bridge. BSKC raised this as a pedestrian safety issue and Councillor Bradley has championed the lowering of the speed limit to 50 km/h as far south as Hunt Club.

Status: This change has been approved by City Council (end of Mar 2025) and the signage should change in the next 1-2 months.

Cahill/Daze Cycling Improvements: The Greenboro Pathway currently ends before South Keys Centre, but many people wish to cycle further west to connect with shopping, transit, the airport parkway pathway, and communities further west. The City has a project underway to add dedicated cycling facilities on this link. 

Status: Public consultation is expected on this City-led project in Spring/Summer 2025.

Bank/Hunt Club Intersection Widening: As part of a dedicated fund to increase intersection capacity for cars, the City is progressing a project to add another eastbound and westbound lane on Hunt Club through this intersection. Though the project would add cycle tracks, it keeps the large “slip lanes” at the intersection which are not comfortable for pedestrians. BSKC wrote a position letter on this in 2022, arguing that any investment in this intersection should focus on pedestrian/cyclist safety and transit priority. 

Status: the functional design (which does not address our concerns) was approved in Fall 2024, and the City is moving into detailed design, with a public consultation expected in 2025/26. There is still an opportunity to make changes to the project, and the City has published a dedicated webpage for it.

Smart Centres Development, South Phase: The retail space between Cineplex and Walmart is currently owned by SmartCentres and includes three vacant stores. SmartCentres has an ultimate vision to build 8 towers in this area. The first phase is under review by the city and would include one tower with ~600 units as well as new ground-floor retail space oriented towards the transit station.

Status: SmartCentres and the City have been unable to reach an agreement for the details of this development, and SmartCentres has retained a lawyer against the City.

South Keys Transit Plaza: As part of the approval of the above development, SmartCentres is required to provide land for a public park / transit plaza leading to South Keys Station. There is significant potential for this space to transform the pedestrian experience in the area. BSKC held an on-site public visioning exercise for the plaza in 2022, and hosted Mayor Sutcliffe there in 2023.

Status: Though implementation of this plaza is contingent on the adjacent redevelopment project, the 2025 City Budget includes $150,000 to design this plaza. Public consultation could occur in 2025/26.

New Pedestrian/Cycling Bridge over Hunt Club + Trail: As part of the Line 2/4 transit project, a new pathway was connected to link the Airport Parkway pathway to the Osgoode Link pathway, including a dedicated bridge over Hunt Club Road. The resulting pathway is over 25km long.

Status: This connection is complete, though some final work may occur in 2025.

Airport Parkway Widening: There are long-lasting plans to widen the Airport Parkway to increase car capacity from Ottawa’s growing south end neighbourhoods. In 2022, after a lively public meeting, Council voted to delay this widening until after two years of O-Train Line 2 service. Ottawa’s draft Transportation Master Plan is recommending this widening as a “priority” project. 

Status: The project is in detailed design and is still recommended in the new Transportation Master Plan (under consultation) but still needs to be approved and funded by Council.