Main Street East and Ottawa Street North intersection fully closed since August 17 for about four months of pre-LRT work

What is happening

The City of Hamilton fully closed the intersection of Main Street East and Ottawa Street North, in Wards 3 and 4, on Monday, August 17, 2026. The City expects the full closure to last approximately four months, weather and logistics permitting. Early construction in the area began on July 7 while the intersection was still open. The City's lane restrictions and road closures list, updated October 7, still showed the full closure in place.

The work includes large watermain and sewer installation, road reconstruction and resurfacing, and relocation of Bell and Alectra utilities. The City says it renews ageing municipal infrastructure and is part of a road improvement project to support future Hamilton LRT construction. Once the intersection reopens, the City says all major road works will be complete, though finishing work that does not affect road users may continue.

Getting around

• Westbound on Main Street: turn north onto Kenilworth Avenue, then west onto Cannon Street toward Gage Avenue.
• Eastbound on Main Street: take King Street at the Delta, or use Gage Avenue to reach Cannon Street toward Kenilworth Avenue.
• No vehicles may pass through the intersection, but side streets east and west of Ottawa Street North and north and south of Main Street East remain accessible.
• Emergency services and residential waste collection are not affected, according to the City.

HSR detours

Three HSR routes are detoured around the closure, according to the City's closure-updates page. Route 1/1A King runs via Edgemont Street North and Dunsmure Road westbound, and via Ottawa Street South, Maple Avenue and Edgemont Street South eastbound. Route 10 B-Line runs via Kenilworth Avenue North, Cannon Street East and Gage Avenue North. Route 41 Mohawk runs via Gage Avenue North and Cannon Street East.

Stops near the intersection, including Main at Ottawa, Main at Kensington and Ottawa at Main, are out of service, and temporary stops are in place along the detour routes. The full stop-by-stop list is on the City's Main & Ottawa closure page and HSR's schedules and detours page.