Cyclists pumped for seemingly imminent opening of car-free bridge

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.

My birthday is mid-July, so it would have been a nice birthday present.- Cyclist Margaret Delicate

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."