Chief William Commanda Bridge (former Prince of Wales Bridge)

[CSYOWYEG]

Seems like it's almost ready to go!

[zzptichka]

Middle section paved too

[harls]

I remember crossing that bridge many a time illegally and watching out for missing planks à la Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

[VANRIDERFAN]

They were dismantling the staging below the piers this morning. Yesterday I saw a group of ladies climbing the fence to run the bridge.

[vtecyo]

I assume the last things to do are - waiting until the paving is cured a bit more - and adding the last little bit of railing to connect the wood fence the bridge itself.

I can only assume it will be open within a week or two.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

When do we get the first complaints about that path intersection?

Never mind, there they are, on schedule.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by harls

I remember crossing that bridge many a time illegally and watching out for missing planks à la Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

DIFFERENTLY legally, surely?

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

When do we get the first complaints about that path intersection?

That bench placement is questionable, though.
It will be terrible to sit on, and its only purpose is to discourage cutting through the grass. But people will do that anyway going behind the bench.

Could've just extended the fence or paved the shortcut.

[J.OT13]

Someone on Rail Fans Discord heard on CBC Radio that it is now open.

[LRTeverywhere]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Someone on Rail Fans Discord heard on CBC Radio that it is now open.

Checked this morning, not open. Worker said likely open Friday

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

That bench placement is questionable, though.
It will be terrible to sit on, and its only purpose is to discourage cutting through the grass. But people will do that anyway going behind the bench.

It'll slow down the MAMILS.

[Ottawacurious]

I agree, it will maybe make the weekend warriors pause but doubtful. I feel; however, it forces a stop sign there where there could have been a 'yield'.

Even moving the bench another 15-20 feet further from the intersection would be an improvement. I too predict there will be a dirt pathway/cut-through created behind the bench in short order as runners would also prefer a turn that isn't as sharp. Perhaps building a raised flower bed that is circular with seating that sits in the middle of the intersection...call it a traffic circle if you want

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/379569074840588218/

[lrt's friend]

Are there places to enjoy the view without being run down by cyclists?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Are there places to enjoy the view without being run down by cyclists?

Is it even permissible to suggest that maybe some cyclists are a bit careless?

[zzptichka]

The bridge is very wide. If you survived the MUP you'll be fine.

I wish there was some place to hang out and enjoy city view on the Lemieux Island though.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

I wish there was some place to hang out and enjoy city view on the Lemieux Island though.

I agree. There looks to be benches on thee picture you posted, but I would have liked something more formal on the rider side of the pathway.

FYI, moved some of the general cycling convo here: https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...152352&page=94

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

The bridge is very wide. If you survived the MUP you'll be fine.

Yeah, the path is quite generous on the Hull side, too. There's still a stretch of railing missing on the Hull side between the bridge itself and the part of the abutment and rail berm that already has rail installed.

I wish there was some place to hang out and enjoy city view on the Lemieux Island though.

Isn't there?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

I wish there was some place to hang out and enjoy city view on the Lemieux Island though.

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Isn't there?

Tavern by the Water Treatment Plant.

[J.OT13]

Cyclists pumped for seemingly imminent opening of car-free bridge

'Everyone wants to be the first over this bridge,' area councillor says

Guy Quenneville · CBC News · Posted: Jul 23, 2023

Jeff Leiper is the sort of active transportation advocate who posts time-lapse videos of his Ottawa bike commutes on social media.

So, yes, the Kitchissippi ward councillor is excited about the prospect of soon riding across the Ottawa River on the rehabilitated and renamed Chief William Commanda Bridge, located just north of the Bayview LRT station.

Leiper's even worried the much-delayed opening — the date of which remains unconfirmed — will happen while he's away on summer vacation.

"We're all wildly impatient," he said on Friday. "I want to be the first, right? Everyone wants to be the first over this bridge."

Previous opening targets missed

City councillors voted in July 2021 to rename the former train crossing connecting Ottawa to Gatineau, which was previously known as the Prince of Wales Bridge, in honour of William Commanda as an act of reconciliation.

Commanda was an Algonquin elder in the Ottawa area who served as Chief of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation from 1951 to 1970.

Once slated for fall 2022, the bridge opening was delayed to last spring, with the city citing labour shortages and supply chain issues.

That date came and went too, and Leiper said the city is still waiting on parts for railings.

"At this point I think we're just waiting day by day," he said of the project, which is billed at $22.6 million in total. "There appears to have been some new construction at least on the Ottawa side that makes it look like an opening is more imminent."

In an emailed statement last week, the city said work on the railings and other safety measures is taking longer than expected.

"We are committed to ensuring public safety prior to opening the bridge and as such, we are unable to provide an exact opening date at this time and continue to prepare for a summer opening," the city said.

In the meantime, some on social media are assiduously tracking all signs of progress.



A new option to get to Gatineau Hills

On Saturday morning, cyclists on the Ottawa side heading north turned their gaze toward the bridge's fenced-off entry.

Behind the barricade, metal posts appeared to be awaiting some kind of connective tissue. Otherwise, the bridge surface looked ready to go.

"Is it open?" one rider asked while CBC interviewed a retired couple cycling on a tandem bike.

"My birthday is mid-July, so it would have been a nice birthday present," said Margaret Delicate, seated at the rear.

"The late opening of a construction project is not unusual," her husband David said from the front.

Leiper and others are excited because the bridge will serve as a new connection point for cyclists, runners and pedestrians eager for new Ottawa-Gatineau loop options.

"It's variety," said runner and cyclist Larry Menard. "After a while, doing the same loops becomes kind of stale."

The absence of cars is "great" too, he added.

"There's a path at [the Portage Bridge]. The Chaudière [Crossing], you're on the road. The Champlain Bridge has a path with a painted line, which is hardly any protection if you're concerned about traffic," Menard said. "I'm quite comfortable in traffic. But accidents happen."

Leiper said the bridge will make it easier for families to cross over into Gatineau from neighbourhoods all over his ward, including Westboro, Hintonburg, Mechanicsville and Champlain Park.

"If you're coming from downtown and you want to get into the Gatineau Hills, this is going to make a much more direct connection, and probably a more pleasant connection than trying to do that from the Champlain Bridge," Leiper said.

Menard said that, as a Métis man who has encountered members of the Commanda family, he appreciates the bridge's new name, too.

"It's not about rewriting history," he said. "It's about recognizing somebody who played an important role in this area."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...2023-1.6914106

[J.OT13]

Deux ponts, deux mesures

Par Patrick Duquette, Le Droit
27 juillet 2023



Depuis le temps qu’on parle d’ajouter un 6e lien interprovincial entre Ottawa et Gatineau. Le voici, le voilà!

L’ancien pont de chemin de fer Prince-de-Galles, rebaptisé pont Chef-William-Commanda, rouvrira bientôt au grand public, au terme de travaux de 22 millions.

Voilà un bel effort pour réhabiliter une infrastructure spectaculaire qui existe depuis 1879, même si la superstructure actuelle date de 1926.

L’effort est d’autant plus remarquable que le pont servira uniquement à la mobilité active: donc cyclistes, piétons et autres trottinettistes…

Je me suis tapé un petit jogging jusqu’à l’ancien pont désaffecté depuis des années. Côté québécois, on y accède facilement par les pistes cyclables qui serpentent derrière l’Université du Québec en Outaouais.

Les travaux de réfection, entrepris en pleine pandémie, sont presque achevés. À vue de nez, ne reste plus que la rambarde de protection à compléter et la signalisation à ajouter. Une grille interdit encore l’accès au site. Mais on peut s’approcher d’assez près pour admirer la piste cyclable flambant neuve qui traverse le pont d’un bout à l’autre, sur près d’un kilomètre de distance…

De toute beauté.

Bientôt, cyclistes et piétons pourront emprunter par milliers ce pont qui reliera le sentier des Voyageurs (côté Québec) au sentier Trillium (côté Ontario). On pourra y pédaler tout en douceur, à l’abri de la clameur urbaine et de la circulation automobile.



Le panorama sur la rivière, sur les chutes de la Chaudière et sur les édifices du centre-ville est tout simplement magnifique. Quand je m’y suis arrêté hier, je n’entendais que le sifflement du vent et le bruissement des vagues.

Aucun doute, la réhabilitation de l’ancien pont de chemin de fer est un gros acquis pour le transport actif dans la région de la capitale fédérale. C’est la preuve que lorsque la volonté politique est là, on peut préserver de belles infrastructures patrimoniales. Et même leur trouver de nouveaux usages futurs: à long terme, le pont Chef-William-Commanda servira à relier les systèmes de transport en commun d’Ottawa et de Gatineau, via la station Bayview. Sera-ce par bus? Par tramway? L’avenir nous le dira. Il ne restera qu’à remplacer la piste cyclable par des rails, et le tour sera joué.

C’est quand même débile quand on y pense.

La Ville d’Ottawa, avec l’aide financière des gouvernements fédéral et de l’Ontario, vient de dépenser une fortune pour rénover le pont William-Commanda. On s’est fendu en quatre pour lui trouver de nouveaux usages, pour en préserver l’importance patrimoniale.

Alors que dans le même temps, le gouvernement fédéral s’apprête à jeter aux poubelles le pont Alexandra, une merveille technologique qui fait partie depuis toujours du paysage urbain de la capitale fédérale, au même titre que le Parlement et le Château Laurier…



Le pont Alexandra, me rappelait hier l’historien Michel Prévost, a été désigné lieu historique national par la Société canadienne de génie civil. Un joyau patrimonial, donc, que le fédéral veut démolir au lieu de le restaurer et de lui donner une nouvelle vocation.

Cherchez l’erreur! C’est du deux ponts, deux mesures...

«Somme toute, il y a là une très grande contradiction que j’aimerais bien que le gouvernement fédéral nous explique», me disait Michel Prévost. Moi aussi, j’aimerais bien qu’on me l’explique celle-là.

https://www.ledroit.com/chroniques/p...ZTBRQkaKYCT_SA