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“I think somebody has to start talking about how we’re going to resolve north-south LRT issues. It can’t all be about east and west,” Deans told Postmedia.

Deans has been a vocal critic of the Trillium Line in the wake of a $60-million upgrade last year. The trains aren’t meeting their promised frequency targets, but ridership has increased.

Still, Deans doesn’t like the long-term outlook.

“The (Trillium Line) is not working these days. That’s a fundamental flaw,” she said.

An LRT line on the existing southeast Transitway could feed directly into the town centre in Riverside South and fulfil the city’s ultimate goal for electrified rapid transit to the suburb, she said. Hurdman will have a new station on the Confederation Line LRT in 2018.

The recent upgrade to the Trillium Line has “put a spotlight on some of the shortcomings of that line and that route,” Deans said.

“I’m not sure that is the future,” she said.

Deans would need a huge political buy-in from her colleagues. There’s nothing on the city’s books that contemplates converting the southeast Transitway to LRT and the city has almost finished an environmental assessment for the Trillium Line’s extension to Bowesville Road.

City staff say even with the Trillium Line investments, the Airport Parkway. still needs to be widened to address traffic congestion at peak times.

The Ottawa International Airport likes the widening plan, but it wants the project started sooner.

The city won’t think about doing the first phase of work until sometime between 2020 and 2025.

The estimated cost to widen the parkway between Brookfield and Hunt Club roads, add a southbound off-ramp and roundabout on Walkley Road and widen Lester Road is $91 million.

jwilling@postmedia.com

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