Lady Grey Wall and Escarpment Project

The NCC is repairing the Lady Grey Drive retaining wall to protect the structural integrity of Lady Grey Drive. The project started in summer 2023 and is scheduled to be completed in summer 2025.

Lady Grey Drive was built by the Ottawa Improvement Commission in 1911-13, reaches 10 meters at its highest point and runs along 580 m of the Ottawa River from the National Gallery of Canada to Sussex Drive. Today, the drive is accessible from an entrance on Sussex Drive near the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge and serves as an access to buildings fronting on Sussex Drive and to the Ottawa Rowing Club.

The Lady Grey Drive wall also supports PSPC’s Energy Services Acquisition Program heating and cooling pipes. This system offers district energy services to many federal buildings in the National Capital Region.

The upcoming redesign and activation of Lady Grey Drive will play a key role in supporting the NCC’s mandate to animate the waterways and to enhance the pathway systems as per the corporate priorities. The future site redevelopment project will focus on four primary objectives:

• Enhance site access and connectivity
• Promote active mobility
• Open new view and vistas on the Ottawa River, Kìwekì Point and Parliament Hill
• Activate and animate the shoreline.

Impact of work

The public parking on Lady Grey Drive will be closed during the work. We are also working with local stakeholders to ensure minimal impacts.

About the wall

The Lady Grey Drive retaining wall was built in 1911. It has gone through major repairs over the years, with the most recent repair work completed in 2010.

In 2020, parts of the wall started to collapse near the Ottawa Rowing Club, which led to a partial closure of Lady Grey Drive.

About the project

Removing and replacing the Lady Grey Drive retaining wall will improve resiliency over the next 50 to 75 years and ensure safety.

Process and timeline