Aylmer man proposes crowdfunded bridge across Ottawa River
Jean-Pierre Caron estimates the bridge would cost between $45 and $70 million
Matthew Kupfer · CBC News
Posted: Aug 10, 2023 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago
An Aylmer man has revived the dream of a direct pedestrian crossing from the west Gatineau community to Ottawa's Britannia Village across the Deschênes Rapids.
Jean-Pierre Caron says he wants you to have your say, pitch in a few dollars and maybe have the chance to name it.
"It would be the biggest GoFundMe ever with a good prize though — the winner would get to name the bridge," Caron said.
He estimates the bridge could cost between $45 and $70 million. While the National Capital Commission (NCC) would ultimately own the bridge, Caron said he hopes privately funding construction and some maintenance would assure long-term naming rights.
The NCC has recently changed the names of a major parkway and bridge along the river and adopted a new policy on place names.
"I believe people are more willing to part with their hard-earned money if they know that basically is going for a cause they believe in," Caron said.
For Caron, the bridge would cut 10 kilometres out of his commute from Aylmer to Kanata. He wouldn't have to take the Champlain Bridge, which has been snarled for months, and he'd get to travel by bike.
Caron worked with a group of University of Ottawa engineering students to look at the practicality of the plan and develop the design for a nearly 800-metre S-shaped bridge.
On top of that, he said the proposal would involve construction of modules off-site that could be assembled at the bridge so the project would only take a year.
Deschênes sector Coun. Caroline Murray said in a statement she knows about the proposal and thinks it merits further discussion with the federal and two provincial governments.
Hull-Aylmer MP Greg Fergus said he applauds Caron's initiative as a private citizen and recognizes the idea is popular with his constituents.
"Right here at Deschênes Rapids in particular, this is like a highway for bikes and joggers. I can understand it would be nice to have a bridge going along the shortest area across the Ottawa River," Fergus said.
Fergus said his caucus colleague Anita Vandenbeld said residents in her area are concerned about environmental and traffic impacts in their neighborhood.
The bridge is proposed to end in Ontario near the Britannia Yacht Club and Mud Lake, a popular part of the Britannia Conservation Area.
David Abraham, who fishes regularly in the area, is concerned about the impact it could have on the environment and skeptical about the case for a new commuter pedestrian bridge.
"What are you going to do in the winter in a blizzard? I don't think anybody is walking anywhere," Abraham said.
Howard Powles, president of the Deschênes Residents Association, said those kind of concerns have brought such proposals down in the past.
"There are many practical problems in terms of trying to build this bridge. The costs are enormous," he said.
While he's personally in favour, Powles said it would also involve building temporary dams and other construction work that would likely have an ecological impact.
Fergus said the federal government is a long way off from considering any financial commitments.
"Let's see what the popular demand is and see if people are willing to support that financially," he said.
The NCC did not respond to CBC's request by deadline.
Caron said he's received more than a thousand responses to his online survey and will continue to accept responses until late September.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...iver-1.6931958
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