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Somerset Street (Ottawa)
Encyclopedia
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...
. It is divided into Somerset Street East and Somerset Street West by 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...
.
Somerset Street East
Somerset Street East is a short road that runs through the neighbourhood of Sandy Hill from the University of OttawaUniversity of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
campus to the west and Strathcona Park
Strathcona Park (Ottawa)
Strathcona Park is a large park in Ottawa, Canada. It lies on the west bank of the Rideau River and marks the eastern edge of the Sandy Hill neighbourhood....
to the east. Somerset also used to extend east over 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...
towards St. Laurent Boulevard. However, that bridge was demolished, and the street was renamed to Donald Street east of the river.
Somerset Street West
Also known as Ottawa Road #36, Somerset Street West begins at the Queen Elizabeth DrivewayQueen Elizabeth Driveway
Queen Elizabeth Driveway is a scenic parkway in Ottawa, Canada that runs along the western edge of the Rideau Canal. It runs from Laurier Avenue in the north to Dow's Lake where it turns into Prince of Wales Drive...
in the east and continues west to Wellington Street West
Wellington Street West
Wellington Street West is a 4-lane arterial road west of downtown Ottawa, Ontario and is not to be confused with the principal Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa. It begins at Bayview Road as a westbound one-way street until it merges with Somerset Street to attain its full right-of-way...
where it ends at Somerset Square. Somerset Street West houses the backbone of Ottawa's Chinatown
Chinatown, Ottawa
Ottawa's Chinatown is located along Somerset Street in downtown Ottawa. It runs from Bay Street in the east to Rochester St in the west...
, between Bay Street in the east to Preston Street
Preston Street (Ottawa)
Preston Street is a street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, running between Wellington Street and Carling Avenue. It is the main commercial district in Little Italy, home to numerous small business and Italian restaurants, and is synonymous with "Little Italy" to many Ottawa residents when referring to...
in the west, which is the centre of Ottawa's Little Italy
Little Italy, Ottawa
Little Italy is a neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, situated in Centretown West and the cultural centre of Ottawa's Italian community. Bounded by Albert Street to the north, Carling Avenue to the south, the O-Train tracks to the west, and approximately Bronson Avenue to the east, Little...
. The area of the street between Bank and O'Connor is known as Somerset Village.
In between
In the 1870s, as the area was developed, a bridge was proposed linking the two Somerset Streets over the Rideau CanalRideau 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...
. However, this bridge never came into existence. Today, on the east side of the canal, there is a pedestrian link from the multi-use pathway that runs alongside the canal, across Colonel By Drive
Colonel By Drive
Colonel By Drive is an 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 south and west to Hog's Back Road, winding through several residential areas and going past Dow's Lake and Carleton University...
, and under Nicholas Street
Nicholas Street
Nicholas Street is an arterial road in the central area of Ottawa, Ontario which connects Highway 417 with the downtown core.The southern section of the road is a freeway between the Queensway interchange and Laurier Avenue intersection...
and the transitway
Ottawa Rapid Transit
In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the public transit service operated by OC Transpo has two rapid transit systems: the Transitway, a bus rapid transit network, and the O-Train, a diesel-powered light rail transit service operated on one line.-Major routes:...
, onto the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
campus. The street continues through the campus as Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
Private, with traffic restricted to bicycles in the westbound direction.
The Corktown Footbridge connects the two sides, but is restricted to non-motorized traffic. The bridge opened to the public on September 21, 2006.