Out and about in Sandy Hill
Work crew returns to Range Road and Somerset Street intersection to install vehicle-calming speed bumps
Bob Whitelaw
In early September, work crews added a raised traffic-calming speed bump at the intersection of Range Road and Somerset Street East. There is already a four-way stop at the intersection. Community concerns resulted in the decision to revisit the intersection, which was completed last year as part of the major Range Road and Mann Avenue infrastructure rebuilding program. The work is in addition to the installation of a new three-way stop and pedestrian calming extensions at the corner of Range Road and Laurier Avenue.
New protected intersection coming at Laurier East and Nicholas
Hilary Duff
In recent months you’ve likely encountered a traffic snafu as a result of construction on Laurier Avenue East between Nicholas and Waller streets. This is the latest phase in the City’s east-west bikeway, which will improve Sandy Hill’s cycling link to the segregated bike lanes on Laurier Avenue West and the Rideau Canal pathway.
While the project is still underway, you may have noticed a few changes already, namely the addition of bike lanes on the south and north sides of Laurier. The right-turning lane from Laurier onto Nicholas has also been eliminated to expand the separated space for pedestrians and cyclists. A green thermoplast strip will be added to the Nicholas and Waller crosswalks later in the fall, adding visibility to the crossing.
Salute to Sandy Hill spy agency
Did you know that Sandy Hill was home to Canada’s first spy agency? A commemorative plaque unveiled in August pulls back the curtain on this piece of our neighbourhood’s history.
The National Research Council’s Examination Unit was housed in an Edwardian mansion that stood on the property immediately east of Laurier House (now an apartment building). Its 50 employees — 40% of whom were women — decrypted secret enemy messages and shared foreign intelligence with British and American allies. Go visit the plaque yourself, or Google “Examination Unit plaque” to read a CBC Ottawa story profiling a 101-year-old woman who worked in the codebreaking bureau.