Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend: Downtown Road Closures May 23-24

The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is scheduled to take place in downtown Ottawa from Saturday, May 23, to Sunday, May 24, 2026. The event will begin and end at Ottawa City Hall, located at 110 Laurier Avenue West.

The City of Ottawa has announced that the races will result in intermittent lane reductions and road closures throughout the downtown core to accommodate the participants and event infrastructure.

Road Closure Schedule

Traffic disruptions are scheduled for both days of the event. On Saturday, May 23, lane reductions and closures will start as early as 11 am and continue until 9 pm.

On Sunday, May 24, the impact on downtown traffic will begin earlier, with closures and reductions starting as early as 5 am and remaining in effect until 2 pm.

Impacted Areas and Thoroughfares

Several major roads and bridges will be affected at various times during the race weekend. The impacted routes include:

• Laurier Avenue, Elgin Street, and Queen Street
• O’Connor Street, Bank Street, and Wellington Street
• Kichi Zībī Mīkan, Booth Street, and Rideau Street
• Sussex Drive, Colonel By Drive, and Queen Elizabeth Driveway
• The Chaudière Bridge, Alexandra Bridge, and Pretoria Bridge
• Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway

Public Transit and Transportation Adjustments

OC Transpo has implemented several service changes to assist runners, volunteers, and spectators in reaching the downtown core. O-Train Lines 1 and 2 will begin service at 5 am on Sunday, May 24.

Bus services will be subject to detours due to the road closures. On Saturday, May 23, detours are scheduled to run from 10:30 am until 9:30 pm. On Sunday, May 24, detours will begin as early as 4:30 am and continue until 3 pm.

A significant service disruption will occur on Sunday, May 24, with no OC Transpo service operating to Gatineau from 5:45 am until 12 pm.

The following bus routes will be affected by the event activities and road closures:

• Standard routes: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 56, and 85
• Night service routes: N39, N45, N57, N61, N75, and N105

the City of Ottawa noted that Para Transpo travel times may be impacted by the planned closures.