Update from City Councillor Shad Qadri:
The Fernbank Land Owners Group is constructing the Abbott Street Extension (from Iber Road to Founder Avenue) as part of the Fernbank Community Development. The proposed roadway will connect to Founder Avenue and the existing Trans Canada Trail will be integrated with this facility. Construction of école secondaire catholique de Fernbank at 5315 Abbott Street, with a planned opening of February 2016, has begun at the north/west corner of where Founder Avenue and the Abbott Street Extension will meet.
A number of tree removals along the south side of the Abbott Street Extension Right-of-Way are required for road construction. In conjunction with tree removals required for road construction, various dead trees and infected ash trees along the Trans Canada Trail that pose safety concerns will be removed. The contractor, Cavanagh Construction, will be proceeding with the proposed tree removals in 2015 and the Trans Canada Trail in this area is proposed to be closed from January 5-7 inclusive. Signage will also be installed to advise residents of the trail closure.
A reforestation plan along this section of the Trans Canada Trail has been coordinated with the City of Ottawa Forestry Group and is planned for implementation the summer of 2015. Approximately 500 small diameter tree plantings (whips) are proposed and ten (10) large diameter deciduous trees will be dispersed along the Trans Canada Trail from Iber Road to the proposed Founder Avenue. Tree species include princeton elm, tamarack, white spruce, red maple, sugar maple, hackberry, black walnut, red oak, paper birch, and butternut.