Robertson Road ( Ottawa Road #36) is a

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

in the west end of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Ontario, Canada. It runs approximately between

Baseline Road Baseline Road may refer to: ;United States *Baseline Road (Arizona) in Phoenix *Baseline Road (Colorado) in Boulder *Baseline Road (Southern California) *M-102 (Michigan highway) in Southeast Michigan ;Canada *Baseline Road (Ottawa) in Ontario *Bas ...

east of

Bells Corners Bells Corners is a suburban neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located along Richmond Road west of downtown, within Ottawa's western Greenbelt, in College Ward. As of the Canada 2016 Census, the community had a population of ...

and

Eagleson Road Eagleson Road ( Ottawa Road #49) is a northwest-southeast road in Ottawa's west end in Kanata. It starts at Highway 417 and ends at Brophy Drive south of Richmond. North of Highway 417 it becomes March Road. It is a key link, primarily for resid ...

in Kanata where the road continues west as Hazeldean Road. At

it continues east as Richmond Road. Robertson Road is a four-lane route along its entire length and the speed limit is except within

where it is . The route west of the old

CP Rail The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

trestle (now the

Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the A ...

) passes through the

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and is designated as a high risk deer collision corridor. Numerous attempts have been made to reduce the risk, including reflective markers along the shoulder on each side of the road. Most recently, these have been removed and lighting installed. Construction was completed in the fall of 2013 around the intersection with Moodie Drive. New storm sewers were installed and Robertson was widened from four lanes to six to ease peak period congestion. As well, the traffic lights at the Moodie Drive intersection were upgraded to have protected left turns for traffic turning from Moodie onto Robertson, as opposed to the unprotected left turns previously installed.

History

Robertson Road was named for John Robertson (1797-1884), an owner of a general store in Bells Corners and "Surveyor of Roads" for the Township of Nepean. Originally built as the concession road leading west to the Hazeldean neighbourhood in neighbouring

Goulbourn Township Goulbourn Township, Ontario, was formed in 1818, roughly 20 km southwest of downtown Ottawa, with the first major settlement occurring in Richmond. Other communities in the township include Stittsville, Munster, and Ashton. Stittsville i ...

, the road was named Arnprior Road because from there it headed northwest to the town of

Arnprior Arnprior is a town in Renfrew County, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located west of Downtown Ottawa, at the confluence of the Madawaska River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley. Arnprior has experienced sig ...

. It was known colloquially as " Whiskey Road" for the number of taverns along its route. It later became part of Highway 7 and Highway 15 before the western leg of Highway 417 was completed, after which it was known for a time as "Old Highway 7 & 15". The name Robertson Road was established on September 28, 1983 by a

Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

(RMOC) by-law naming the portion of Highway 7 and 15, west of the now Old Richmond Road turnoff at Bells Corners to Eagleson Road.

Renaming controversy

On 13 April 2011,

City Council voted to rename Robertson Road and a portion of Richmond Road after the late

Lloyd Francis Cyril Lloyd Francis (March 19, 1920 – January 20, 2007) was a Canadian politician and one time Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada. Biography Following service in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, Francis earned a Mas ...

, a land speculator, former

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

and former Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada. The decision would have seen the name of Robertson Road and the portion of Richmond Road between Robertson Road and

changed to Lloyd Francis Boulevard so the commercial strip in

would bear a single name for its entire length. The Robertson name was to be preserved as the name of a park. Strong opposition from local residents and business eventually led to

City Council voting to rescind the decision and voting instead to extend the Robertson Road name east to

instead, renaming only the portion of Richmond Road in

. The changes came into effect on May 1, 2012.

Major Intersections

The following is a list of major intersections along Robertson Road, from west to east: *

* Westcliffe Road * Fitzgerald Road * Moodie Drive * Vanier Road (not to be confused with Vanier Parkway in the east end) * Old Richmond Road (former eastern end of Robertson Road) * Stinson Avenue * Stafford Road & Lynhar Road * Northside Road *

The road alignment continues east as Richmond Road.

Communities

Lynwood Village Lynwood Village is a neighbourhood in Bells Corners, west of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The neighbourhood is also known as Bells Corners East. The homes were built in between 1958 and 1966. It is one of the first examples of tract housing in ...

Westcliffe Estates Westcliffe Estates (Bells Corners West), is a neighbourhood of Bells Corners in College Ward, in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1969, most of the older homes in this area were built by Assaly Construction and later the Thoma ...

* Bellwood Estates

References

External links