Colonel By Drive

Colonel By Drive (French: Promenade Colonel By) is an 8.1 km (5.0 mi) long scenic parkway in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs along the Rideau Canal from the end of Sussex Drive at Rideau Street. It then continues 8 km (5.0 mi) south and west to Hog's Back Road, winding through several residential areas and going past Dow's Lake and Carleton University. To the north, the road passes Department of National Defence Headquarters, the Ottawa Congress Centre and the Westin Hotel before ending at Wellington Street and Rideau Street The rear door of the Government Conference Centre can be accessed from the street as well, after it passes under the Mackenzie King Bridge. It is named for Colonel John By, who built the Rideau Canal. The winding two-lane road has a speed limit of 60 km/h (37 mph).

For many decades the area east of the canal had held Ottawa's main rail lines connecting to the Ottawa Train Station near the northern end of the canal. In the mid-1960s the train station was controversially relocated about 3 km (1.9 mi) southeast in an industrial area in the east end of the city, leaving the area on the eastern bank of the canal open for development. The National Capital Commission thus decided to create a scenic parkway. The Queen Elizabeth Driveway, another scenic Canadian parkway, already served the same purpose on the other side of the canal.

John By

Lieutenant-Colonel John By (7 August 1779 – 1 February 1836) was a British military engineer, best remembered for supervising the construction of the Rideau Canal and, in the process, founded Bytown, that would become the city of Ottawa.

Life and career

Born in Lambeth in London, England in 1779 to George By and Mary Bryan. By studied at the Royal Military Academy. He entered Officer Training in the army when he was 18 years old. He was commissioned in the Royal Artillery on 1 August 1799 but transferred to the Royal Engineers on 20 December the same year. In 1802 he was posted to Canada for the first time, where he worked on the fortification of Quebec City and on improving the navigability of the Saint Lawrence River. During the Napoleonic wars he returned to Europe, where he served in Spain under the Duke of Wellington from 1811 until 1815.

With the end of the war By retired from the military but in 1826, in view of his engineering experience in Canada, he was recalled and returned to Canada to supervise the construction of the Rideau Canal. Since the canal was to begin in the wild and sparsely populated Ottawa River valley, his first task was the construction of a town to house the men who were to work on the canal, and associated services. The resulting settlement, called Bytown in his honour, would later be renamed to Ottawa, ultimately becoming the capital of Canada.

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Latest News for: colonel by drive

RCMP seeking witnesses after man hit by driver on Colonel By Drive Sunday night

CTV 03 May 2023
The RCMP is investigating an incident involving a man who was found injured on Colonel By Drive Sunday night and police are looking for witnesses ... .

RCMP seeks information in relation to man found injured on Colonel By Drive

Canada Newswire 03 May 2023
Shortly after , members of the NCR Traffic Services responded to Colonel By Drive, south of the Laurier overpass, after the RCMP received a report of a man laying on the roadway who had been badly injured.

RCMP seeks information in relation to man found injured on Colonel By Drive (CISC - Criminal Intelligence Service Canada)

Public Technologies 03 May 2023
Shortly after 9 pm, members of the National Capital Region Traffic Services responded to Colonel By Drive, south of the Laurier overpass, after the received a report of a man laying on the roadway who had been badly injured.

Speed limit lowering to 40 km/h on Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Colonel By Drive

CBC 16 Sep 2022
Drivers will have to take it a little bit slower along the Rideau Canal starting Monday ... .

NCC lowering speed limit on Queen Elizabeth Driveway and section of Colonel By Drive

CTV 16 Sep 2022
Starting Monday, the speed limit on Queen Elizabeth Driveway and a section of Colonel By Drive, from Bronson Avenue to Daly Avenue, will be reduced from 60 km/h to 40 km/h ... .
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