Tunney's Pasture station to close Friday evening

The last bit of Transitway between MertonAvenue and Tunney's Pasture stationis closing this weekend to allow crews to convert the bus trench tolightrail. It won't be open again until the first phase of the Confederation Line is completed, which is expected to happen in 2018.

Here's what you need to know to plan your commute this weekend, and for the next 18 months.

When does Tunney's Pasture close?

The underground part of the transit station closes Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m. Buses will use a ground-level platform instead, but not until Monday.

What happens this weekend?

From Friday evening at 7 p.m. until bus service ends at 3 a.m. on Monday, June 27,the Transitwaywill be closed from Westboro to Tunney's Pasture stations. Crews need the weekend to finish a ramp that will connectthe Transitway just west of Tunney's Pasture to the ground-level platform, andto completean above-ground platform at Tunney's.

During the weekend, buses will generallyrun along Scott Street. Buses will all stop at the ground-level platform at Westboro Station, while atTunney's,buses will stop on Scott Street.

You can catch buses on routes 16 and 86 eastbound ata new stop on Holland Avenue, south of Scott.

But all this changes on Monday? What happens then?

That's right. On Monday morning, Westboro station goes back to normal. Buses will use a new ramp built just west of Tunney'sPasture station to get between the Transitwayand the new platform at Tunney's, justnorth of where the current station sits.

Westbound buses approaching Tunney's will turn right onto a purpose-built driveway to enterthe new platform, snake around it and then enter the Transitwayusing the new ramp.

Eastboundbuses coming from Westboro station will use that same ramp to get to the newTunney'splatform. They will then turn right onto Tunney's Pasture Driveway (which is the continuation of Holland), then left onto Scott to continue their eastward journey.

Won't that clog up the intersection at Scott and Holland?

It will certainly increase the volume of traffic at the intersection. (It is unlikely to be fun for federal employees who want to drive to the Tunney's campus. But it's also temporary. More on that below.)

Coun. Jeff Leiper,whose Kitchissippiward includes Tunney's Pasture,is optimistic things will work smoothly for commuters. For one thing, only about four or five buseswill be leaving the station at any one time. Second, OC Transpo is estimating that the changes at Tunney's will add a mere minute to transit riders' trips.

"We did express concerns on volume in the run-up to this," Leiper said. "But with the experience we've had this far, OC Transpo has earned our trust."

Anything else I should know?

A couple of things. As of Monday, a few bus routes will still be using that new stop on Holland, south of Scott:

• 16 Britannia.
• 176 LeBreton.
• 176Mackenzie King Bridge.

Generally speaking, eastbound buses will stop on the south side of the new platform, while westbound buses will use the north side. But it's still a good idea to check the signs carefully.

One last thing: Crews will be extending Goldenrod Driveway a road that runs north-south through the Tunney's campus, west of Holland to connect with Scott. Traffic lights will be installed, and this is where eastbound buses will turn left to get onto Scott, freeing up the Scott and Holland intersection. The city expects this work to be finished by about mid-August, but there will be updates closer to completion.