Alexandra Bridge replacement | Proposed - Page 26

YOWetal · #**501** Posted **Feb 4, 2026, 6:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by harls

For traffic - that bridge has been closed plenty of times over the last decade and it has worked out fine (fine as in it has pissed off people with added commute times).

For pedestrians - I guess... too bad, go take Portage?

It does push the commute past the congestion point for sure but for pedestrians it is absolutely essential. People commute on foot which would become impossible with a detour. A frequent free water taxi would be great.

J.OT13 · #**502** Posted **Feb 4, 2026, 4:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by YOWetal

It does push the commute past the congestion point for sure but for pedestrians it is absolutely essential. People commute on foot which would become impossible with a detour. A frequent free water taxi would be great.

I feel like they could keep such a water taxi/ferry even in Winter.

ponyboycurtis · #**503** Posted **Feb 4, 2026, 4:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by YOWetal

It does push the commute past the congestion point for sure but for pedestrians it is absolutely essential. People commute on foot which would become impossible with a detour. A frequent free water taxi would be great.

Hmm.. yeah I hadn't even considered that aspect.

One of the best walks you can take in the city is some type of hybrid configuration of Confederation Blvd. Had some people visiting from Kingston and Toronto a few years ago and took them on that walk. Lots of pauses and detours. But Alexandria bridge was the key piece. Wouldn't have bothered without that link to loop back around.

If they can somehow demolish the existing bridge and rebuild within 2 summer seasons I'll accept a suck it up buttercup.

Water taxi is a great idea though. I guess you could argue the new dock they just finished building should have had some type of embarking area built off to the side. Not sure how it would work in its current state.

Uhuniau · #**504** Posted **Feb 5, 2026, 6:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley613

In spring/summer/fall they should run a free water taxi that can hold bikes, although you'd have to go to the bottom of the locks on the Ottawa end to access it, so it's not a perfect solution.

That would be quite nice, actually.

zzptichka · #**505** Posted **Feb 5, 2026, 7:37 PM**

Wonder what would it cost to build a ski-resort style gondola here and if it's possible to do without any additional pylons.

vtecyo · #**506** Posted **Feb 6, 2026, 4:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzptichka

Wonder what would it cost to build a ski-resort style gondola here and if it's possible to do without any additional pylons.

The museum to Major's Hill park is no more than ~ 550m to 650m depending - that's easy for gondola towers. The Peak 2 Peak gondola in Whistler has a span between two towers of over 3km. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_2_Peak_Gondola

YOWetal · #**507** Posted **Feb 6, 2026, 5:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzptichka

Wonder what would it cost to build a ski-resort style gondola here and if it's possible to do without any additional pylons.

Yeah that would solve a lot of problems and be a great legacy regardless. Free and charge for bikes perhaps.

J.OT13 · #**508** Posted **Feb 6, 2026, 7:13 PM**

Would be great to have, but we can't plan, fund and build this within 2 years.

I wish alternatives would have been an integral part of the planning process.

J.OT13 · #**509** Posted **Feb 18, 2026, 2:09 PM**

Sounds like the Feds will be investing a Billion restoring the old Quebec City Bridge according to Franks on the Canada Bridge Forum: https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...postcount=1560

lrt's friend · #**510** Posted **Feb 18, 2026, 2:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Sounds like the Feds will be investing a Billion restoring the old Quebec City Bridge according to Franks on the Canada Bridge Forum: https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...postcount=1560

We know which is the more politically important location. Who cares about Ottawa and it's residents. That is another reason why 24 Sussex never gets repaired.

FutureWickedCity · #**511** Posted **Feb 18, 2026, 3:21 PM**

The entire way the has been presented to the public has been so pedantic and patronizing. We were never asked if were Ok with demolition;' we we were just told it's happening and that's that. Then the NCC insulted our intelligence with their sham "consultation" on the design of a new bridge. I'm convinced they did not choose the design that got the most votes. And now we find out that Quebec City gets to keep their bridge. i'm so disgusted.

J.OT13 · #**512** Posted **Feb 18, 2026, 3:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FutureWickedCity

The entire way the has been presented to the public has been so pedantic and patronizing. We were never asked if were Ok with demolition;' we we were just told it's happening and that's that. Then the NCC insulted our intelligence with their sham "consultation" on the design of a new bridge. I'm convinced they did not choose the design that got the most votes. And now we find out that Quebec City gets to keep their bridge. i'm so disgusted.

The NCC confirmed that Echo was the most popular choice. They offered an explanation as to why they didn't go with that one, but I don't remember what that was.

Uhuniau · #**513** Posted **Feb 18, 2026, 3:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

We know which is the more politically important location. Who cares about Ottawa and it's residents. That is another reason why 24 Sussex never gets repaired.

That's not why 24 Sussex never got repaired.

zzptichka · #**514** Posted **Feb 18, 2026, 4:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FutureWickedCity

The entire way the has been presented to the public has been so pedantic and patronizing. We were never asked if were Ok with demolition;' we we were just told it's happening and that's that. Then the NCC insulted our intelligence with their sham "consultation" on the design of a new bridge. I'm convinced they did not choose the design that got the most votes. And now we find out that Quebec City gets to keep their bridge. i'm so disgusted.

Ah yes. Should've taken page out of the wildly successful "Interprovincial Crossing" case study. How many decades of consultations and studies it's been?

Johnny Kit Kat · #**515** Posted **Feb 19, 2026, 12:13 AM**

I don't know. Statscan just announced that the population of Ottawa-Gatineau reached 1.7 million on July 1 2025. When I moved here 31 years ago in 1994 it was 960,000. How is 2 lanes of road traffic going to be sufficient in 50 years when the population is 3 million or more? I find this design very short sighted in that regard. I know all the active transportation supporters will criticize me but, really, how is 2 lanes for vehicles gonna work for a large city's core.

Richard Eade · #**516** Posted **Feb 19, 2026, 2:49 AM**

It won't. The cities of Ottawa and Gatineau NEED to get serious about adding effective, reliable, public transit to take up the slack.

And there needs to be east-end AND west-end bridges

zzptichka · #**517** Posted **Feb 19, 2026, 3:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Kit Kat

I don't know. Statscan just announced that the population of Ottawa-Gatineau reached 1.7 million on July 1 2025. When I moved here 31 years ago in 1994 it was 960,000. How is 2 lanes of road traffic going to be sufficient in 50 years when the population is 3 million or more? I find this design very short sighted in that regard. I know all the active transportation supporters will criticize me but, really, how is 2 lanes for vehicles gonna work for a large city's core.

London added a couple of Million people since the 1990s and pretty sure they managed to halve the number of car lanes across the Thames in the core. We still have ways to go to catch up!
Car-brained provincial governments are not making it easy though.

Uhuniau · #**518** Posted **Feb 19, 2026, 9:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzptichka

London added a couple of Million people since the 1990s and pretty sure they managed to halve the number of car lanes across the Thames in the core. We still have ways to go to catch up!
Car-brained provincial governments are not making it easy though.

London also has a mass transit system that crosses the Thames up to 27 times (depending on how you wish to count it.)

zzptichka · #**519** Posted **Feb 19, 2026, 11:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

London also has a mass transit system that crosses the Thames up to 27 times (depending on how you wish to count it.)

Exactly. And that's what we should be doing too.

J.OT13 · #**520** Posted **Feb 20, 2026, 1:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Kit Kat

I don't know. Statscan just announced that the population of Ottawa-Gatineau reached 1.7 million on July 1 2025. When I moved here 31 years ago in 1994 it was 960,000. How is 2 lanes of road traffic going to be sufficient in 50 years when the population is 3 million or more? I find this design very short sighted in that regard. I know all the active transportation supporters will criticize me but, really, how is 2 lanes for vehicles gonna work for a large city's core.

Even if the Alexandra Bridge was 20 lanes wide, you're down to 2 lanes on the Ottawa side.

The Kettle Island Bridge that will remove cars and trucks from the congested and dense Downtown will do more than any additional lanes on Downtown bridges.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

It won't. The cities of Ottawa and Gatineau NEED to get serious about adding effective, reliable, public transit to take up the slack.

And there needs to be east-end AND west-end bridges

Agreed. The solution is far more and better transit, but we keep falling behind by electing Provincial politicians who don't care about transit (or Ottawa-Gatineau).

Bridges outside the core will also help by avoiding needing to detour though downtown for any interprovincial trip.