A stretch of the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail in Mississippi Mills will be closed starting Wednesday, June 24, 2026, so crews can grade the surface and add a fresh layer of stone dust. The work will affect the section between Shaw Road and the Highway 417 overpass.
Lanark County has hired Crains’ Construction Ltd. to do the resurfacing. Public Works Manager Sam Poole said the maintenance is part of ongoing efforts to ensure safety, accessibility and resiliency for trail users.
The closure will move along the trail as the crew works, and the job is expected to wrap up by the end of the day on Friday, June 26. If the weather does not cooperate, Monday, June 29 has been set as a backup finish date.
Trail users should know that no detour signs will be posted. According to the notice from Mississippi Mills, there simply are no practical alternate routes in that area, so anyone planning to bike, hike, or ride an ATV through there will need to find their own way around.
This is the latest round of regular upkeep on the 296-kilometre multi-use corridor, which runs from Smiths Falls to Deep River and sees everything from pedestrians and cyclists to ATVs and snowmobiles. Last July, similar rolling closures took place on four sections between Ridge Road and Shaw Road for the same kind of grading and stone dust work.
