Latest news with #KettleIsland
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Councillor pushes Ottawa ring road instead of 6th bridge
A city councillor says Ottawa needs a southern ring road to relieve congestion on the Queensway — instead of a controversial bridge over Kettle Island. Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney floated the idea at Thursday's public works and infrastructure committee meeting as councillors debated updates to the transportation master plan, a guiding document setting out infrastructure priorities for the coming decades. Tierney noted that Highway 417 is currently the only major east-west route for interprovincial and regional traffic, including trucks, which should be rerouted south of the urban core. He made a motion, which passed by a vote of 9-2, urging all levels of government to pursue a "full and fair evaluation" of a southern ring road. The motion will now go to council for a final vote. Tierney said it sends a clear message. "We're saying this is really important to us," he said. "If the province is looking for some guidance for where they would like to provide some money to the city ... we've just indicated, it's this — it's not an interprovincial bridge." Feds promised 6th bridge The federal government pledged in January to build a sixth bridge spanning the Ottawa River over Kettle Island. That plan would direct truck traffic onto the Aviation Parkway, which runs through Tierney's ward. "Three billion dollars for an interprovincial bridge, we have no interest in that," Tierney said. "We have a bigger issue where all of our traffic is going through downtown and we see highway closures that really affect people's lives right now. He said the time is right to push for the ring road, which the provincial government committed to exploring in a 2022 transportation plan for eastern Ontario. "We have to start looking at this as an option," Tierney said. "I've spoken to the minister provincially, as well as our mayor, and I think we have an opportunity here to at least get this on the vision board about what we want to do in the future." Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas supported Tierney's motion. She said another bridge won't solve Ottawa's traffic woes, since it would still dump trucks onto the 417 or the 174. "I fully support the idea of looking at this. It would cost, probably, a lot, and I don't think it would be a burden that our municipal taxpayers would have to bear. It would have to be a provincial or federal burden," she said. "But I do think it's a viable option to consider." But Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster questioned the idea. She worried that either option — a bridge or a ring road — would simply sink money into promoting auto use instead of transit. "I just think the goal should be getting people out of cars," she said. Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower warned that Tierney's motion could send a confusing message to higher levels of government and distract from the city's other funding requests, especially for transit. "I just feel like this ring road has come out of nowhere today," he said. Committee tweaks list of projects favoured for funding Despite the vote, the motion won't add the ring road to the city's transportation master plan, which the committee voted for on Thursday. The plan lays out $4.5 billion in transit infrastructure and $2.8 billion for roads that the city needs to keep up with population and employment growth to 2046. But city staff admit that number isn't affordable, so the plan includes a list of priority projects that are more likely to get built. That includes $2.3 billion in transit projects and $1.6 billion for roads, including widening and new links to growing communities. The expansion of the light rail system to Barrhaven and Kanata is also in the plan, with an estimated price tag of $8.3 billion, though the city is counting on upper levels of government to pay for it. The top-priority projects on the list include transitways on Baseline Road and through southern Orléans. Major road expansions in Orléans and Stittsville are also on the priority list, as well as a realignment of Greenbank Road in Barrhaven. Tweaks to the plan Councillors mostly kept that list intact and sent it to council for a final vote, though there were a few tweaks. Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo successfully moved to redraw plans to widen Prince of Wales Drive, removing a section near Merivale Road from the priority list and adding a section north of Fallowfield. Lo also made a more controversial motion for a study that could change the alignment of the proposed LRT to Barrhaven. The tracks were originally set to run west of Woodroffe Avenue. But that would have required expropriating and demolishing low-income homes in Manor Village and Cheryl Gardens. In 2022, council changed the route to avoid that, running the tracks over Woodroffe Avenue at an added cost of $50 million. Lo's motion asked staff to evaluate going back to the original route. He said the new route is more complex, and noted that most of the low-income residents have already been forced out through renovictions. "The reason that pushed for the realignment is no longer there," he said. But Gower countered that even if the original residents are gone, returning to the original route would still cost homes. "Whether they're low income or moderate income, we're still going to be displacing people," Gower said. Lo's LRT motion failed 4-7.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa Liberal MP says proposed interprovincial bridge ‘does not meet Ottawa's needs'
An Ottawa Liberal MP is not onboard the proposed route for a new interprovincial bridge in Ottawa's east end, saying the bridge at Kettle Island 'does not meet Ottawa's needs' and will not remove trucks from the Lowertown neighbourhood. The Liberal government committed to building a new interprovincial bridge connecting Ottawa and Gatineau last December, which would connect Montée Paiement in Gatineau with the Aviation Parkway in Ottawa. The bridge would cross the Ottawa River at Kettle Island in Ottawa's east end. 'I believe that, to this day, we have yet to identify a comprehensive solution – particularly on the Ottawa side,' Mona Fortier, MP for Ottawa-Vanier-Gloucester, said in a letter to constituents. 'The eastern bridge project via Kettle Island – specifically the corridor between the Aviation Parkway and Montée Paiement does not meet Ottawa's needs. It does not guarantee the removal of heavy trucks from the King Edward corridor which is a crucial issue for safety, air quality, and traffic flow in the downtown core.' There are currently five interprovincial bridges in Ottawa, with the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge the only bridge on the eastern side of Ottawa. Fortier says Public Services and Procurement Canada did not consult with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation about 'the already overcapacity Highway 417' and the Highway 174 interchange in the east end. 'This new bridge cannot become a 'bridge to nowhere.' It must be part of a coherent, integrated, and sustainable regional solution that does not simply shift the problem into new communities,' Fortier writes. 'With an estimated cost between $3 and $4 billion, this project represents a major investment that does not offer clear or equitable benefits for our region. Furthermore, based on my many conversations with residents and numerous community associations, this project is not a priority.' Kettle Island Bridge map A map showing the location of the proposed Kettle Island Bridge over the Ottawa River. Jan. 30, 2025. (Kimberley Fowler/CTV News Ottawa) Fortier add studies conducted by the National Capital Commission and Public Services and Procurement Canada on the Kettle Island option 'have not demonstrated clear benefits' for Ottawa. 'It is time to shift the discussion toward a comprehensive solution that connects Highway 50 to the 417, addresses the issue of truck traffic in the downtown core, and ensures fair and respectful outcomes for all communities,' Fortier said. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has said the proposed new interprovincial bridge is not a priority for the City of Ottawa, and encouraged the federal government to fund transit. The NCC launched public consultations last week on the proposed new interprovincial bridge, with an online survey available until July 10 'Your input will also inform the initial project description, which will be submitted to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada as part of the federal Impact Assessment process,' the NCC said. According to the NCC, the feedback from residents will play a key role in identifying the project's 'most important benefits from a community perspective,' understanding 'potential impacts on people, places and the environment' and shaping the initial planning and design principles for the bridge. The survey asks participants to rank what topics are most important to them for the eastern bridge project: transportation and connectivity, community impacts and health, the environment and economic opportunities. Participants are also asked about their concerns for the interprovincial bridge project. The new bridge at Kettle Island could be completed between 2032 and 2034.
CTV News
20-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
NCC launches public consultations on new Ottawa-Gatineau interprovincial bridge
Corridor 5, also known as the Kettle Island bridge or eastern bridge, is a proposed sixth interprovincial bridge. (National Capital Commission map) The National Capital Commission has launched the first round of public consultations on a proposed new interprovincial bridge in Ottawa's east end. Last December, the federal government committed to building a new bridge over the Ottawa River to connect Ottawa and Gatineau, reviving the controversial proposal for interprovincial travel. The proposed sixth bridge would cross Kettle Island in the Ottawa River, connecting the Aviation Parkway to Montée Paiement in Gatineau. An online survey is now available until July 10, with the NCC inviting people to share their thoughts on the project's 'early planning and design principles.' 'Your input will also inform the initial project description, which will be submitted to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada as part of the federal Impact Assessment process,' the NCC said. According to the NCC, the feedback from residents will play a key role in identifying the project's 'most important benefits from a community perspective,' understanding 'potential impacts on people, places and the environment' and shaping the initial planning and design principles for the bridge. The survey asks participants to rank what topics are most important to you for the eastern bridge project: transportation and connectivity, community impacts and health, the environment and economic opportunities. Participants are also asked about their concerns for the interprovincial bridge project. The NCC says it is envisioned that the new bridge will provide residents with additional access to public and active transportation modes. The new bridge at Kettle Island could be completed between 2032 and 2034. 'The construction of a new bridge is a long and complex process. This project is in the pre-planning phase,' the NCC said on its website. 'A number of studies and assessments remain to be completed. At this time, the NCC has the authorization to further assess potential impacts and define the required functionality at the identified location.'
