The city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada maintains many regional roads, like most counties and regional municipalities in Southern and Eastern Ontario. The regional road system was created by the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (RMOC) and managed by the RMOC until 2001. In 2001, when all six cities, four townships, and one village within the former RMOC amalgamated to form the new city of Ottawa, responsibility of the regional road system was transferred to the new city of Ottawa, and they became today's “Ottawa roads”.
In general, even-numbered routes run east-west and odd-numbered routes run north-south. Also, the lowest-numbered routes are generally found in the southern part of the city for even (east-west) numbered routes, and in the western part for odd (north-south) numbered routes. This pattern, however, has many exceptions. As more roads were added to the numbered-road system, the availability of numbers decreased and consequently, the numbering pattern had to be broken.
In smaller communities and rural areas the numbered roads are, for the most part, adequately signed with trapezoid-shaped signs with rounded corners, which are often referred to as "flowerpots" due to the shape of the sign. Older signs installed prior to 2001 have the legend "Ottawa-Carleton" at the top with the route number underneath. Newer signs installed after 2001 use the legend "Ottawa" or simply the "O" portion of the city's wordmark. Most numbered-road signs are not marked with directional tabs indicating the direction of the road (i.e. North, South, East, West), but where these appear, they are always printed in both English and French.
Most numbered roads in the urban areas of Ottawa are not signed with route numbers, despite having official route numbers and being listed on many maps with these numbers. Ottawa's city council adopted an updated route-numbering policy in 2005, under which road numbers are no longer posted inside the Greenbelt except for significant roads such as Ottawa Road 174, a former provincial highway, which is now usually known as "The 174". This effectively makes most Ottawa Roads within the greenbelt useful only for the City's internal purposes, not for wayfinding, as they are not signed. This is especially the case for Ottawa Roads 70, 78, 82, 105, and 113 which have little to no public record, due to the fact that they were likely numbered after numbering was discontinued in the downtown core.
During the mass downloading of Ontario's provincial highways onto regional authorities in 1997 and 1998, the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton was given responsibility over former Highways 16, 31, 44, the section of 17 east of Highway 417 and the section of 15 downloaded to the Region. These former highways became known as Regional Roads (subsequently Ottawa Roads) 73, 31, 49, 174 and 29, respectively.
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NumberNamesWestern/Southern TerminusEastern/Northern TerminusMajor CommunitiesGeographical Township / RegionNotesDonnelly DriveOttawa/Lanark County BorderOttawa Road 5 (Donnelly Drive [north], Merlyn Wilson Road [south])Burritts RapidsMarlboroughContinues west as Lanark County Road 2.Dwyer Hill Road, Upper Dwyer Hill RoadOttawa Road 2 (Donnelly Drive)Ottawa Road 22 (Galetta Side Road)Burritts Rapids, Dwyer Hill, PanmureMarlborough, Goulbourn, Huntley, FitzroyDalmeny Road, Marvelville RoadOttawa Road 19 (River Road)Ottawa Road 41 (Gregoire Road)Dalmeny, MarvelvilleOsgoodeOriginally continued west along Gordon Murdock Road, Osgoode Main Street, Nixon Drive, and Roger Stevens Drive to the Ottawa/Lanark County Border and didn't include the portion of Dalmeny Road west of Gordon Murdock Road. The current routing was established around 1982, with the Roger Stevens Drive portion (and part of Nixon Drive) being replaced by Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road 6 (now Ottawa Road 6) and the portion from Ottawa Road 6 (Snake Island Road) to Dalmeny Road being removed from the network. Osgoode Main Street would become Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road 114 (now Ottawa Road 114) around 1992. Ottawa Road 4 would only be extended easterly to Ottawa Road 41 when it was created (previously ending at Regional Road 29 (Yorks Corners Rd)). Merlyn Wilson Road, Donnelly Drive, Fourth Line Road, Century Road West, McBean Street, Perth Street, Huntley Road, Stittsville Main Street, Carp Road, Galetta Side Road, Harbour Road, Fitzroy Road, Canon Smith Road, Aylwin RoadOttawa/Leeds & Grenville United Counties Border (Rideau River)Ottawa Road 7 (Ferry Road)North Gower, Richmond, Stittsville, Carp, Fitzroy HarbourMarlborough, North Gower, Goulbourn, Huntley, Fitzroy Continues south as Leeds & Grenville United Counties Road 44. Formerly ran along Malakoff Road and Roger Stevens Drive between Becketts Landing and North Gower. Around 1982, the portion south of North Gower was removed. The current routing was established around 1998. Stittsville Main StreetOttawa Road 5 (Carp Road)Ottawa Road 36 (Hazeldean Road)StittsvilleGoulbournNot signed.Roger Stevens Drive, Nixon Drive, Snake Island Road, Victoria StreetOttawa/Lanark County BorderOttawa Road 41 (Gregoire Road (south), Boundary Road (north)) / Ottawa/Prescott & Russell United Counties BorderMalakoff, North Gower, Kars, MetcalfeMarlborough, North Gower, OsgoodeContinues west as Lanark County Road 4 and east as Prescott & Russell United Counties Road 3. Originally ended at Nixon Drive in the west, while the current route west of this point was part of Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road 4 (now Ottawa Road 4). The current routing was established around 1982. Cartwright RoadOttawa Road 6 (Victoria Street)Ottawa Road 41 (Boundary Road)OsgoodeFerry RoadOttawa Road 22 (Galetta Side Road)Toll ferry to Quyon, QuebecFitzroyBrophy Drive, Bankfield Road, Manotick Main Street, Bridge Street, Mitch Owens Road, Boundary Road, Devine Road, Rockdale Road, Russland Road, Saumure RoadOttawa Road 49 (Eagleson Road)Ottawa Road 37 (Saumure Road) / Ottawa/Prescott & Russell United Counties BorderManotick, Manotick Station, Greely, South Gloucester, Edwards, VarsNepean, North Gower, Osgoode, Gloucester, CumberlandOriginally ended at Vars in the eastDunrobin RoadOttawa Road 49 (March Road)Ottawa Road 22 (Galetta Side Road)Dunrobin, MalwoodMarch, TorboltonFranktown Road, Perth Street at the Ottawa/Lanark County Border (Eagleson Road)RichmondGoulbournContinues west as Lanark County Road 10. Ottawa Road 10 originally followed Old Richmond Road and Moodie Drive up to Carling Avenue. The portion south of Ottawa Road 86 (Hope Side Road) has been replaced by Ottawa Road 59 since around 1984. The portion between Ottawa Road 86 (Hope Side Road) and Ottawa Road 12 (Fallowfield Road) was replaced by Ottawa Road 59 around 1998. Ottawa Road 10 was shortened to end at Ottawa Road 49 (Eagleson Road) at the same time.Moodie DriveOttawa Road 8 (Brophy Drive)Ottawa Road 32 (West Hunt Club Road)NepeanOriginally continued north to Regional Road 10 (Richmond Road, now Ottawa Road 59 (Old Richmond Road)).Fallowfield RoadOttawa Road 3 (Dwyer Hill Road)Ottawa Road 73 (Prince of Wales Drive)Fallowfield, BarrhavenGoulbourn, NepeanOriginally ran along Flewellyn Road west of Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road 5 (Huntley Road, now Ottawa Road 5) to Ashton and the Ottawa/Lanark County border. The current routing was established in around 1992. Dilworth Road, Rideau Valley Drive South, Roger Stevens Drive, Rideau Valley Drive North, Manotick Main Street, Rideau Valley Drive, Longfields Drive, Jockvale Road, Greenbank Road, Pinecrest RoadOttawa Road 5 (Fourth Line Road)Ottawa Road 38 (Carling Avenue)Nepean, Barrhaven, Manotick, KarsNorth Gower, NepeanFormerly continued along the current Ottawa Road 5 path to Grenville County, until Highway 16 was downloaded to the City of Ottawa in 1998. Leitrim RoadOttawa Road 19 (River Road)Ottawa Road 26 (Russell Road)LeitrimGloucesterWoodroffe Avenue, Fairlawn Avenue, Lenester AvenueOttawa Road 73 (Prince of Wales Drive)Kichi Zibi MikanNepean, BarrhavenNepeanIntersection with Prince of Wales Drive has been closed. Fairlawn Avenue and Lenester Avenue from Carling Avenue to Woodroffe Avenue helps form a rectangle with Woodroffe Ave and Carling Avenue. Holly Acres Road, Richmond Road, Baseline Road, Heron Road (Carling Avenue)Ottawa Road 74 (Walkley Road)Nepean, OttawaNepean, OttawaMerivale Road, Clyde Avenue, Maitland AvenueOttawa Road 73 (Prince of Wales Drive)Ottawa Road 38 (Carling Avenue)Nepean, OttawaNepeanOriginally continued north along Merivale Road past Clyde Avenue River Road, Riverside Drive, Vanier ParkwayOttawa/Leeds & Grenville United Counties BorderOttawa Road 44 (Beechwood Avenue)Manotick, Riverside South, Ottawa, VanierOsgoode, Gloucester, OttawaContinues south as Leeds & Grenville United Counties Road 19. Kinburn Side RoadOttawa/Lanark County BorderOttawa Road 9 (Dunrobin Road)Antrim, Kinburn, WoodlawnFitzroy, TorboltonContinues west as Lanark County Road 20Sixth Line Road, Torwood DriveOttawa Road 109 (Cameron Harvey Drive)Ottawa Road 129 (Vances Side Road)TorboltonGaletta Side RoadOttawa Road 29Ottawa Road 9 (Dunrobin Road)Galetta, DirletonFitzroy, TorboltonContinues west as Lanark County Road 22. Cedarview RoadOttawa Road 12 (Fallowfield Road)Ottawa Road 16 (Baseline Road)Barrhaven, NepeanNepeanFormerly continued south of Ottawa Road 12 Lester Road (Albion Road) (Bank Street)GloucesterGloucesterStagecoach Road, Mitch Owens Road, Albion Road in Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry United Counties Border (Bank Street)Reids Mills, West Osgoode, Enniskerry, Greely, GloucesterOsgoode, GloucesterContinues south as Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry United Counties Road 1. Originally ended at Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road 4 (Dalmeny Road, now Ottawa Road 4) in the north and was extended to Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road 8 (Mitch Owens Road, now Ottawa Road 8) around 1982.St. Laurent Boulevard, Ramsayville Road, Russell Road (Hemlock Road)Ottawa/Prescott & Russell United Counties BorderRockcliffe Park, Vanier, Ottawa, Gloucester, Ramsayville, Carlsbad Springs, BearbrookOttawa, Gloucester, CumberlandContinues east as Prescott & Russell United Counties Road 2 8th Line Road, Anderson Road, Blair Road (Victoria Street) (Montreal Road)Metcalfe, GloucesterOsgoode, GloucesterUsed to be numbered north beyond Ottawa Road 34 to Blair Road's northern dead-end. Originally terminated at Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road 8 (Mitch Owens Road, now Ottawa Road 8) in the north. Formerly ran along some portions of Ogilvie Road to the Aviation Parkway. Bearbrook Road, Innes Road, Blackburn Hamlet Bypass, Navan Road, Colonial Road (Montreal Road)Ottawa/Prescott & Russell United Counties BorderBlackburn Hamlet, Orleans, Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Navan, SarsfieldGloucester, CumberlandContinues on as Prescott & Russell United Counties Road 1 (du Golf Road). Concurrent with Ottawa Road 30 along Blackburn Hamlet Bypass. Innes Road and Blackburn Hamlet Bypass portions may no longer be numbered.Ottawa Road 29Ottawa/Lanark County Border (Madawaska Boulevard), Highway 17FitzroyContinues south as Lanark County Road 29. Formerly part of Highway 15 (and before that, 29). Industrial Avenue, Innes Road, Blackburn Hamlet BypassOttawa Road 19 (Riverside Drive)Ottawa Road 35 (Dunning Road)Ottawa, Gloucester, Blackburn Hamlet, OrleansGloucester, Cumberland, OttawaOriginally ran down Cyrville Road and passed through Blackburn along Innes Rd. Now bypasses the town via the Blackburn Hamlet Bypass.Bank StreetOttawa/Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry United Counties BorderOttawa Road 34 (Wellington Street)Vernon, Spring Hill, Greely, Leitrim, OttawaGloucester, Osgoode, OttawaContinues south as Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry United Counties Road 31.