Expect Heavy Ottawa Race Weekend Traffic

Published 05/23/2025 · Updated 05/23/2025

Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend returns to Ottawa streets this weekend, from Saturday, May 24 to Sunday, May 25.

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This is a release from the City of Ottawa:

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The running event starts and ends at Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, and involves intermittent lane reductions and closures on Saturday, from as early as 11 am until 9 pm, and on Sunday, from as early as 5 am until 2 pm.

Major roads impacted at various times by the event include:

Laurier Avenue

Elgin Street

O’Connor Street

Wellington Street

Bronson Avenue

Colonel By Drive

Pretoria Bridge

Queen Elizabeth Drive

Kichi Z?b? M?kan Parkway

Booth Street

Rideau Street

MacKenzie Avenue

Sussex Drive

Sir George Étienne Cartier Parkway

Chaudiere Bridge

A full list of the lane reductions, road closures and times are located on the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend website.

For updates on construction and roadwork activity across Ottawa or for information about traffic and travel planning, visit the City’s traffic map or follow the City’s traffic account on X (formerly Twitter).

OC Transpo
Some OC Transpo services will be affected by road closures and event activity:

OC Transpo routes 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 56, 85 and night service routes N39, N45, N57, N61 and N98 will be affected.

Saturday, May 24, detours will start as early as 10:30 am until 9:15 pm.

Sunday, May 25, detours will start as early as 4:30 am until 3 pm, and there will be no OC Transpo service to Gatineau from 6 am until 12 pm.

Para Transpo travel times may be affected by planned road closures.

O-Trains Line 1 and 2 will begin running at 5 am on Sunday, May 25 to make it easier for Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend runners, volunteers and spectators to get to the downtown core in advance of the marathon. Double-car trains will be in service on Line 1 throughout the weekend to support the anticipated higher passenger volumes. Customers are encouraged to plan their trip in advance by using the Travel Planner.

Full details of OC Transpo service impacts can be found on the OC Transpo alerts page. You can also connect with OC Transpo through Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.