The federal government is starting the process of building a bridge connecting the eastern end of Ottawa to Gatineau, Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour announced Thursday.
At a news conference at the Library and Archives Canada Preservation Centre in Gatineau, MacKinnon announced that the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the National Capital Commission (NCC) and a technical advisor is proceeding with the pre-planning work of the bridge, which will be located on the corridor between the Montée Paiement and the Aviation Parkway
The next steps include the impact study, design, preparation of the site, and development of a procurement strategy. The bridge could be built between 2032 and 2034, depending on the results of the impact study and the approach to construction.
The bridge will be built connecting existing roads, resulting in a lower footprint, and allow trucks that currently enter Gatineau through downtown Ottawa to instead access a direct link between the two regions.
“This bridge will not be without controversy. No infrastructure project is. There will be people who think it shouldn’t go here or it should go there,” MacKinnon said. “What we need to reassure people is that it will solve many, many, many more problems than it will create.
“It will be done with the greatest possible sensitivity to regions, to neighbourhoods, and it will have an incredibly positive impact on the economy of this region, the Gatineau economy and the Ottawa economy, and it will take trucks out of the downtowns of Hull and Ottawa.”
Data from the NCC found that 3,500 trucks cross the Ottawa River every day, and 72 per cent of them use the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge. Of the trucks that travel on King Edward Avenue, 67 per cent have an origin or destination outside the immediate area, but must drive through central Ottawa to access the bridge.
In his remarks, MacKinnon referenced the residences and homeless shelters, notably the Shepherds of Good Hope on King Edward Avenue, which have been impacted by the heavy congestion and trucks on the road.
“We’ve all seen the double-stacked logging trucks rumbling by the Shepherds of Good Hope, and we’ve all recoiled at that very thought. For too long, we have chosen to not solve that problem,” said MacKinnon. “Today, we are solving that problem. Today, we are giving the City of Ottawa and the NCC the tools to solve what is a real shame in a G7 capital, where we have 3,500 tractor-trailers going through our downtown every single day. That my friends, is a major blight on our region.
“It hinders business. It hinders people who are going downtown to work, to go downtown for entertainment, to attend the National Arts Center, to maybe go to the ByWard Market,” he continued. “These are things that will be solved with a new and additional crossing in this region.”
MacKinnon spoke on behalf of Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, and was joined by NCC chairperson Maryse Gaudreault.
A high-level schedule provided by indicated consultation might be wrapped up by 2028 with early works beginning in 2030, followed by construction, which is estimated to kick off in 2031.
A request for proposals for the professional services of a technical advisor, which will support the procurement strategy, was published on December 31, 2024.
Stefan Dery, director general of infrastructure asset management at PSPC, told reporters that the project was only at a stage of “preliminary concepts” and that it was too early for estimates of the project cost and funding sources.
The project is reviving a controversial proposal that was shelved nearly 10 years ago due to public backlash and a lack of support from the Ontario government.
Speaking to reporters at the announcement, MacKinnon said the push for the project has “always come from [the Gatineau] side,” and resistance has come from Ontario, because Gatineau has a large population, and Ottawa has more job opportunities, he said.
In 2009, the NCC and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec undertook a technical study of 10 potential corridors in the National Capital Region. In 2013, technical studies were undertaken on the 3 highest ranked potential corridors, which were Montée Paiement to Aviation Parkway, Lower Duck Island and McLaurin Bay.
From 2019 to 2024, PSPC and the NCC updated the technical studies on these corridors, revealing that Montée Paiement to Aviation Parkway. A mandate letter from the Minister of Public Services and Procurement confirms the need to address the requirement for an additional crossing in the National Capital Region.
Following the design process, community updates will be ongoing, as will Indigenous consultations, and public involvement beginning in spring or summer of 2025. This will include forming or amending collaboration agreements and establishing partner and community advisory groups.
