By The Baseline Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) that travels along the Richmond-Baseline-Heron corridor is a strategic transit project that will expand and connect Ottawa’s existing and planned Transitway and Light Rail Transit (LRT) network. It will be a cross-town transit facility that bypasses the downtown.
The Recommended Plan features median bus lanes for most of the 14 km corridor which will provide separation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from other traffic. It will improve transit travel time and offer a reliable service that is not susceptible to traffic delays or congestion.
The 24 new transit stations will provide opportunities for land use intensification and will enable continued travel growth in future as the corridor redevelops and ridership increases.
The Recommended Plan maintains two lanes in each direction for general traffic. It also includes 23 km of sidewalks, 22 km of cycle tracks, 4 km of Multi-Use Pathway (MUP), and 1.5 km of on-road/shoulder bike lanes to encourage walking and cycling and enable an accessible, safe, and comfortable travel environment along the corridor.
In short, the plan is to make the Heron-Baseline corridor, a rapid bus corridor, creating median lanes for the buses with few interruptions/limitations. Some very minor land acquisitions are expected in River Ward, including some land from the Experimental Farm.
On February 1, the Transportation Committee of the City of Ottawa will meet to discuss, debate and vote (approve) the Functional Design for the Baseline Road Bus Rapid Transit corridor ( Heron Station to Bayshore Station).
For more information, please visit www.ottawa.ca/baselinecorridor
