Feds commit to pushing forward on new Ottawa-Gatineau bridge
The Kettle Island corridor in the east end has been identified as the site for the next bridge, but no new money has been committed to the project.Author of the article:
Staff Reporter
Published Dec 16, 2024 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 1 minute read
The federal government says it will take the next steps to build a sixth bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau.
Citing downtown traffic issues, the fall economic statement says the government will initiate the “next phase” to plan and design a new “multimodal bridge” over the Ottawa River in the city’s east end, at Kettle Island.
“Following Corridor 5, the Eastern Bridge will become an important piece of transportation infrastructure that will optimize public transit networks and eliminate truck traffic in congested downtown cores, in turn, boosting economic growth in downtown Gatineau and Ottawa, accelerating commutes, and making active transportation safer,” the economic statement says.
Building a new interprovincial bridge in Ottawa’s east end has been a contentious issue for years. In 2012, the National Capital Commission (NCC) proposed building a bridge over Kettle Island, but the project was shelved because of opposition from local politicians and residents in the surrounding areas, and the Ontario government pulled its support.
In 2019, the federal government then asked the NCC to revive the idea of building a bridge in Ottawa’s east end and geotechnical studies were conducted in 2022. Kettle Island was proposed as “Corridor 5.”
The fall economic statement did not include any new funding for the project, nor did it include a timeline.
The document also pledged $31.6 million over three years to conduct feasibility studies for a two-kilometre portion on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River for a potential Gatineau-Ottawa tram project. In June, the federal government announced a joint investment of $163.5 million with the Quebec provincial government for planning the Gatineau side of that project.
Feds commit to pushing forward on new Ottawa-Gatineau bridge
The Kettle Island corridor has been identified as the site for the next bridge, but no new money has been committed to the project.
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