8 drivers charged in Ottawa after ignoring Highway 417 construction closures: OPP

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) charged eight drivers with ignoring traffic detours as a multi-day construction closure of Highway 417 in Ottawa stretched into the Monday morning commute.

A portion of the Queensway in Ottawa has been closed since July 2 for work to replace the bridges over the O-Train Trillium Line tracks.

The closures were supposed to wrap up by 6 a.m. on Monday, but an update from the City of Ottawa’s traffic account on Twitter noted that while the new bridges were in place, work would continue.

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Work finally wrapped up on the bridge replacements shortly after 6:30 p.m., in time for evening highway traffic to resume.

Despite the past five days’ closures, some drivers have evidently been undeterred by detours in place.

https://twitter.com/QueenswayCop/status/1280172068752035840?s=20

OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson confirmed to Global News on Monday that, since construction started last Thursday, eight drivers were charged under the Highway Traffic Act for driving on a closed highway.

The charge comes with a $110 fine.

“It’s a ticket and they are sent on their way, through the detour,” wrote Dickson in an email.

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