The Rideau Canal

Colonel By Driveway

 

Colonel By Driveway is a significant scenic route owned and operated by the National Capital Commission. It was first built between the 1950s and 1960s, spanning 7.9 kilometres.

 

Named after the historical figure of Colonel John By, the original name of the street changed many times throughout the years

 

This idea of various parkways within the Capital Region was first planned in Ottawa around the mid-19th Century by Frederick Todd, Herbert Holt, and Jacques Greber. These parkways were meant to provide a place for pleasure-driving and moving large numbers of cars at a continuous speed. Because of this, traffic lights were removed, as well as limiting access to pedestrian crossing.

 

Colonel By Driveway begins at Rideau Street and ends at Hog’s Back Road. In between it passes through various different communities and significant buildings, including the Department of National Defence, Old Ottawa South, Dow’s Lake, and Carleton University.

 

While driving along, one is able to see various landscapes both near and far away, which has created this unique corridor cultural landscape. The interesting thing about this Driveway is that it is also part of another corridor landscape, the Rideau Canal. In comparison to other corridor landscapes in the Capital Region, and according to the National Capital Commission, Colonel By Driveway is considered a small-scaled cultural landscape within the Rideau Canal Corridor.

 

The scenic route was once part of the extensive railway line that went to Ottawa’s old Union Station, but after its removal in the mid-60s as part of the decentralization of rail lines from the city centre, a portion of the old railway line was converted into an additional part of the scenic route.

 

Many archival images exist depicting how Colonel By Drive once looked like and the changes it has seen throughout the years. In addition to this, there are many historical maps that show the historic scenic route.

 

 

References

Julian Smith & Associates Contentworks Inc.. (2004). Definition and Assessment of Cultural Landscapes of Heritage Value on NCC Lands. National Capital Commission. Retrieved from: http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/sites/default/files/pubs/Definition-Assessment-Cultural-Landscapes-Heritage-Value-NCC-Lands-2004_0.pdf

National Capital Commission. (2014, March). Updated NCC Policy for Parkways Draft. National Capital Commission. Retrieved from: http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/sites/default/files/pubs/parkways-policy-2014-en.pdf

National Capital Commission. (n.d.) Scenic Parkways in Canada’s Capital Region. Retrieved from: http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/parks-paths/scenic-parkways-canadas-capital-region

Wikipedia. (2014). Colonel By Drive. Wikipedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_By_Drive