King Edward Avenue (Ottawa)
Encyclopedia
King Edward Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the eastern part of Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
.
King Edward Avenue runs from the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
southward to the Queensway
. The street was originally named "King Street" and was renamed to honour King Edward VII. In the 19th century the street had the "by-wash" running through its centre, an open sewer that ran from the Rideau Canal
to the Rideau River
.
The by-wash was removed and replaced with a tree lined boulevard, making King Edward one of Ottawa's prettiest streets in the early 20th century. With the construction of the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge and the Queensway, however, the street became congested with large commercial vehicles and quickly became dirty and dangerous.
King Edward cuts directly down the centre of two of downtown Ottawa's oldest neighbourhoods, Lower Town
and Sandy Hill
. Rideau Street divides both Sandy Hill and Lower Town, while the Rideau River
, Rideau Canal
, and the Ottawa River
serve as natural boundaries to the rest of these two communities. The Byward Market
is a sub-component of Lower Town.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
King Edward Avenue runs from the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge is a bridge connecting Ottawa, Ontario, to Gatineau, Quebec. The bridge is a 618 m long continuous steel box girder bridge and carries six lanes of traffic. It links King Edward Avenue and Sussex Drive in Ottawa with Autoroute 5 in Quebec...
southward to the Queensway
Queensway (Ottawa)
The Queensway is a major controlled-access freeway running through Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from Kanata in the west to Orleans in the east. It is the primary east-west transportation artery in the Ottawa-Gatineau area....
. The street was originally named "King Street" and was renamed to honour King Edward VII. In the 19th century the street had the "by-wash" running through its centre, an open sewer that ran from the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
to the Rideau River
Rideau River
thumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
.
The by-wash was removed and replaced with a tree lined boulevard, making King Edward one of Ottawa's prettiest streets in the early 20th century. With the construction of the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge and the Queensway, however, the street became congested with large commercial vehicles and quickly became dirty and dangerous.
King Edward cuts directly down the centre of two of downtown Ottawa's oldest neighbourhoods, Lower Town
Lower Town
Lowertown is a district in the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to the east of downtown. It is bounded roughly by Rideau Street to the south, Sussex Drive and Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the west, and the Rideau River to the east...
and Sandy Hill
Sandy Hill
Sandy Hill is a bilingual neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario located just east of downtown. The neighbourhood is bordered on the west by the Rideau Canal and on the east by the Rideau River. To the north it stretches to Rideau Street and the Byward Market area while to the south it is bordered by...
. Rideau Street divides both Sandy Hill and Lower Town, while the Rideau River
Rideau River
thumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
, Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
, and the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
serve as natural boundaries to the rest of these two communities. The Byward Market
Byward Market
ByWard Market is a district in Lower Town located east of the government & business district, surrounding the market buildings and open-air market on George, York, ByWard and William Streets.The district is bordered on the west by Sussex Drive, on the...
is a sub-component of Lower Town.