Chaudière Crossing closure forces route changes for Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon and Half-Marathon

Runners to use one lane on Portage Bridge

Ottawa, May 14, 2019 , 11am- Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend organizers, in collaboration with their partners, will be changing the routes for the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon and Half-Marathon courses due to the ongoing closure of the Chaudière Crossing.

With this change, runners will cross into Gatineau using one Southbound lane on the Portage Bridge. For the past several years, these races used the Chaudière Crossing to run from the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway into downtown Gatineau.

Runners will now head North on the Portage Bridge from the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway using the curbside Southbound lane. Once in Gatineau, runners will turn West on Laurier Street and reconnect to the normal course at Booth and Laurier. Cyclists, pedestrians, busses and cars will still have access to the Portage Bridge.

The lane will be closed from 7:00am to 11:00am on Sunday, May 26.

“We are grateful to all our partners in Ottawa and Gatineau for accommodating this change. We know this has been a trying time for all municipal and federal partners,” said John Halvorsen, Race Director, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. “Fortunately, the impact on runners will be minimal and we hope that the runners will enjoy the change in scenery.”

The modifications to accommodate this change include:

Marathon: Shortcut in Westboro from Athlone Street to McRae Street to make up for the extension that will take place from Booth Street to the Portage Bridge.

Half-marathon : Shortcut in Westboro from Island Park Drive to Carleton Street to make up for the extension that will take place from Booth Street to the Portage Bridge.

The courses will be measured as per the guidelines set out by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

Updated course maps are available at www.runottawa.ca. A list of road closures is also available on the site.

Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend takes place May 25 and 26, 2019.

Related information: