Bigger and better is always the answer…right?
Ottawa is a city populated by a large percentage of students, thanks to being home to Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. However, it is not designed to ease student life.
Bus routes are long, complicated and often late. Bike lanes begin and end haphazardly. And nearly every student has a friend who has gotten into some sort of collision while riding a Bird scooter.
Like most North American cities, it is designed for cars. With the federal workers returning to work in-person, the city is flooded with gridlock traffic. This impacts students since it delays buses and keeps popular routes inaccessible for quick commute.
Luckily your two favorite politicians — Mark Sutcliffe and Premier Doug Ford — have a solution! The City of Ottawa plans to build an underground tunnel between the two major universities to reduce traffic.
The Tomato interviewed city planner and member of Mark Sutcliffe’s staff, Rhodes Block, for his thoughts on the tunnel.
“We’ve consulted with Premier Doug Ford and plan to model this project on the excellent work he has been doing with the 401 highway in Toronto,” said Block. “It is essential for the people of Ottawa that we eliminate traffic congestion. This can be accomplished by brute force and determination.”
Block has been criticized by citizens of the city for his lack of oversight on timely construction projects in the city. One U of O club called Students for 15-minute Cities, have dubbed the city-planner ‘Road Block’.
When asked about the logistics of the project, Block responded, “Obviously, construction takes time. But, I promise we can finish this project in a year with no effect on current traffic routes. The city will be better for it in 2026!”
Block added excitedly, “Our plans also include making this tunnel a tourist attraction. The tunnel will run under the Rideau Canal. The tunnel will boast a clear ceiling to view the vibrancy of the canal.”
To comment on the complexity of the project the Tomato interviewed engineering professor at the University of Ottawa, Bill I. Bridges, who shook his head in disbelief. “Firstly, the only thing you will see in the Rideau Canal are floating traffic cones!”
“Not to mention this is a multi-billion dollar project that would take more than 15 years to accomplish. All it will do in the end is worsen existing problems and add to the tensions between students and ‘Road Block’. ” He added.
Whether or not the tunnel is built will be decided by the result of next year’s Panda Game; Carleton for the tunnel and U of O against. Based on the results of the past year, it is possible this tunnel is nothing to worry about.
