Work to achieve environmental assessment approval began in March 2010. ‘With this announcement the federal government now joins the provincial government, which granted its environmental assessment approval in August 2010,’ the city stated in a press release.
"This project is the largest, most complex infrastructure project in the city’s history and we have achieved a very important milestone,"
said Mayor Jim Watson. "The federal government¹s endorsement of our approach is a critical step forward for us as we move towards finishing the RFP and selecting the team that will build this project."
The OLRT project is currently in the request-for-proposals phase of the procurement process. Three consortia – Ottawa Transit Partners, Rideau Transit Group and Rideau Transit Partners – were shortlisted to bid on the project and council is scheduled to approve the winner in late 2012. Construction is expected to start in early 2013.
The light rail line will extend 12.5km, from the Tunney’s Pasture federal government complex in the west to Blair Station in the east, at The Gloucester Centre near Blair Road and The Queensway. The downtown portion includes a 3.2km-long tunnel. It will have a total of 13 stations. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
