Transit riders in Ottawa's east end will endure big changes and possible delays to their commute beginning this summer as the city works to convert the Transitway to light rail.

Beginning on June 28, the Transitway will be closed for three years between Hurdman and Blair stations.

That means buses will be re-routed to bus lanes along the recently widened Highway 417 and Regional Road 174, potentially adding commute times for the thousands of people who come to and from the city's east end.

In a technical briefing Wednesday, the city said about 15 per cent of OC Transpo's commuters will have longer commutes, but most of the added time for those trips will be less than seven minutes.

Three stations — Blair, Train and Hurdman — will be relocated, while Cyrville station will be closed altogether during the work.

The general manager of OC Transpo, John Manconi, said bus riders will have access to plenty of information to adjust to the detours.

"We're hoping that the customers realize that there is a good plan. We also hope that customers see that through this adjustment period there is a state-of-the-art world-class LRT system waiting for them," Manconi said.

The first section of the west-end Transitway — from Merton Street to Empress Avenue — won't close until December 2015.