Ottawa Transportation Committee Approves $15M RapidBus Priority Lanes on Baseline Road

OTTAWA, ON — The City of Ottawa’s Transportation Committee approved a $15.2 million design and early construction contract on Tuesday for Phase 1 of the Baseline Road Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, connecting Algonquin College with Heron Station.

Rapid Transit Alignment and Signal Preemption

The capital project creates dedicated center-running transit lanes, heated modern passenger shelters, and real-time optical transit signal priority along a 5.2-kilometer stretch of Baseline Road. The dedicated busway will cut OC Transpo transit commute times by 14 minutes during peak morning rush hours for more than 22,000 daily crosstown transit riders.

The project also constructs raised cycle tracks and continuous multi-use pathways along the south side of Baseline Road to protect active transportation commuters.

Intermodal Transit Network Integration

Transportation Committee Chair Tim Tierney noted that Baseline BRT serves as the vital east-west transit spine connecting O-Train Line 1 at Heron and Line 2 at Confederation, providing seamless rapid transit for students attending Algonquin College and Carleton University.

The project is co-financed through the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) and municipal development charge revenues.

Construction Phase Schedule

Utility relocation will begin in late 2026, with surface roadway paving and dedicated bus lane installation taking place throughout 2027.