Bronson Avenue (Ottawa)

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Bronson Avenue (Ottawa Road #79) is a major north-south arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from downtown at Albert and Sparks Street in the north through Centretown, past the Glebe and Carleton University and turns into the Airport Parkway, which is a major expressway to the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.

Starting as a local road for downtown residents north of Albert Street, Bronson quickly gets busier. Bronson Avenue is a four-lane undivided principal arterial road through residential and commercial areas with a speed limit of 50 km/h (30 mph) from Albert Street to Colonel By Drive, at which point it expands to a six lane divided principal arterial with little or no direct frontage and a speed limit of 70 km/h (45 mph). From the stretch south of Sunnyside Avenue, the average speed by drivers is much higher as Bronson becomes an expressway leading onto the Airport Parkway.

Bronson Avenue is a gateway to the southern neighborhoods of Ottawa and since it is generally faster to take Bronson Avenue than Bank Street, the street is usually quite busy, particularly at rush hour.

Glebe Collegiate Institute and Carleton University border on Bronson Avenue.

There has been considerable debate about the nature of the road in the past few years; some have called for an expressway to be built in the corridor to link to a twinned Airport Parkway; but that has been extremely unpopular with local residents calling for improved public transit and is unlikely to be built.

Bronson Avenue took its name from Ottawa Valley timber baron Henry Franklin Bronson.