Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Ottawa is speeding up its 2026 construction plans, bringing millions in infrastructure tenders to the market this month while also pushing ahead with the design phase for the Sparks Street makeover and essential municipal facility repairs.
As spring approaches, local contractors are getting ready for a surge of municipal projects that include everything from major street upgrades to specialized roofing jobs.
Heritage and recreation roof replacements
The city has announced a significant tender for the historic Champagne Bath Fitness Centre located in Lowertown. Project IWS IS DCFB CF000371 is focused on replacing Roofs 4 and 7 at the facility at 321 King Edward Ave.
According to MERX procurement documents, this project has an estimated value of $900,000. The winning contractor will need to provide all labor, equipment, and materials needed for the roof replacement. Bidders must download and attach a signed Form of Tender (FOT) with their submission. Contractors looking to bid should attend an on-site visit planned for March 30 at 2 p. m. The tender will officially close on April 7, 2026.
At the same time, another significant upgrade is happening at the Cardel Recreation Complex in Stittsville: the roof replacement project IWS/IS/DCMB CF001476 involves replacing Roofs 11 and 12 at 1500 Shea Rd., with bids closing on April 8.
Sparks Street design procurement
In terms of public spaces, the city recently wrapped up Request for Proposals (RFP) 18025-92536-P01 aimed at “Functional Design, Landscape Plan and Related Studies” for Sparks Street’s pedestrian mall.
The bidding process used a strict two-envelope system to assess proposals. Envelope 1 required a technical proposal detailing how firms would meet the city’s rated requirements, making sure no pricing information was included to maintain objective design evaluation. Envelope 2 contained financial proposals where bidders submitted their total costs along with prompt payment acknowledgments.
Kevin Mc Hale, executive director of the Downtown Ottawa BIA, mentioned earlier this month that they expect to award the design contract this spring. The planning phase will take about a year as they revisit initial concepts created in 2019 before issuing phased construction tenders so businesses won’t face disruptions all at once.
Heavy civil work resumes on Clare and Dovercourt
Apart from municipal facilities and design procurement activities, heavy civil work is set to restart in mid-March on Clare Street and Dovercourt Avenue’s $15.5-million integrated renewal project.
This project designed by Novatech includes complete road reconstruction along with replacing aging water mains and sanitary sewers. According to city documents regarding this project, construction in 2026 will focus primarily on Dovercourt Avenue and part of Clare Street from Highcroft Avenue to Kirkwood Avenue.
The surface design features traffic calming strategies such as narrowing vehicle lanes down to 3.5 meters while introducing speed humps. During construction periods, Clare Street will be reduced to one eastbound lane in affected areas; westbound traffic will be redirected via Kirkwood, Byron or Carling avenues. This multi-year project aims for completion by mid-2027.
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