City blames unforeseen site problem for Aylmer gridlock as Lucerne work stretches into 2027

Tashi Farmilo

Roadwork on two of Aylmer’s main east-west arteries brought traffic to a standstill on October 9, when an unforeseen problem forced crews onto chemin d’Aylmer in broad daylight while boulevard de Lucerne remained under reconstruction, leaving one resident stuck for half an hour and asking why the City of Gatineau would tackle both routes at once.

The resident, who asked not to be named, phoned the Aylmer Bulletin. He said drivers pushed off Lucerne had clogged chemin d’Aylmer so badly that he could not move, and he described scheduling work on both roads at the same time as irresponsible. He referred to the two routes as the lower and upper Aylmer roads.

The city said the chemin d’Aylmer job was meant to be brief and was planned largely for overnight hours, with a single lane carrying traffic in alternating directions so motorists would not have to detour onto Lucerne. That plan unravelled when crews ran into an unexpected condition that had to be dealt with during the day. The city cited the difficulty of the repair, safety risks and trouble securing materials.

Asked why both roads were torn up simultaneously, the city pointed to the length of the Lucerne project. With that reconstruction running for about two years, it said, other essential maintenance in the area has to carry on in the meantime.

The city listed several steps meant to ease the pain for drivers. Schedules and detours are coordinated across worksites, flaggers were on hand while crews worked on chemin d’Aylmer, and that road was left unobstructed once crews packed up. Lucerne has been divided into four phases to keep closures smaller, while road signs, electronic message boards, online notices, letters to residents and alerts for STO bus riders keep the public informed.

The city conceded those measures only go so far. Traffic will still back up, it said, particularly during rush hour on a network that is already near capacity. It added that it recognizes the frustration and fine-tunes its approach where it can.

A week before the traffic jam, the same resident had a far more dangerous experience. Heading along chemin d’Aylmer one morning with a long line of cars behind him, he said he found an uncovered manhole in the middle of his lane, on a section where the asphalt had been removed. He pulled over, hauled a large construction pylon in front of the hole and dialled 911. By his estimate, traffic stretched back about a kilometre while he waited.

The city confirmed it received a report about the manhole. Officials called the contractor, which sent workers to make the area safe, and the city said the fix came quickly. Since the work at that spot did not touch any municipal water or sewer lines, the city said it could not explain why the cover was off. It stressed that the contractor must make sure a site is safe before letting traffic back through.

For many Aylmer drivers, the Lucerne rebuild was overdue. The boulevard had deteriorated into a patchwork of bumps and potholes, and residents waited years for the city to commit to a full overhaul. Crews broke ground on September 15, 2025, between chemin Vanier and Frank-Robinson. Along with new asphalt, the project brings a redesigned intersection at Frank-Robinson, new signals at Grands-Châteaux and Riesling, pedestrian crossings with flashing lights, a cycling path and additional sidewalks and walkways.

Other residents share his frustration. The city has logged 17 requests about Aylmer worksites since September 16. Four dealt directly with how the projects were planned, and most of the others raised signage issues. The city said every request is reviewed and followed up, and anything needing correction is forwarded to the contractor.

Drivers on chemin d’Aylmer should not have to wait much longer. The city said the work there is close to done, with only finishing touches left to complete overnight. Lucerne will sit idle through the winter, and crews will return to complete it in 2027.