Ottawa’s Transportation Safety and Technology Science facility has advanced to its next phase, with the federal government exercising a construction-management services option worth approximately $404.9 million with Bird Construction Group Ltd.

Public Services and Procurement Canada announced the decision on October 30. The facility is being built at the National Research Council’s Montréal Road campus and is expected to bring together about 260 NRC and Transportation Safety Board employees. The project consolidates staff currently working at five separate laboratories.

The department says preparatory work began in summer 2025 and main construction began in fall 2026. Substantial completion is expected in 2031.

The planned laboratories will support transportation research, testing and accident-investigation work across air, marine, rail, road and pipeline transportation. For Ottawa, the announcement confirms a major construction milestone for local research; the facility is still years from its expected completion.

Sources: PSPC announcement, October 30; official project overview.