Receding waters reveal pothole-riddled paths in Ottawa, Gatineau

The National Capital Commission is warning pedestrians and cyclists to be careful on paths because recent high water levels have damaged and closed several parts of the Capital Pathway network.

• Full coverage of the 2017 floods in Ottawa-Gatineau

"Of our 250 kilometres of pathways, which make up almost half of the pathway system in the capital region, there's a good portion of them that went underwater, were damaged, and will need remediation," NCC CEO Mark Kristmanson told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Friday.

"We documented, extensively, the flooding, so that we know exactly how the assets were affected, and where possible, we'll shift to higher ground or increase resiliency.

"But I would say that the general policy and direction set by Sir Wilfrid Laurier over 100 years ago — it was a really good idea — acquire the shorelines into the public realm and turn them into public spaces, because in a sense they are resilient. We can restore pathways easier than we can restore people's houses and buildings and so forth.

"We'll look back and we'll replace them in as smart a way as we can."

Several paths are still closed due to flooding, though part of the Ottawa River Pathway between Pioneer Road and the Rideau Canal reopened Thursday afternoon.

This map shows updated closures on the Capital Pathway network, with more details below.

Ottawa River Pathway

• A one-kilometre section behind Parliament Hill, between the Library and Archives of Canada and the Rideau Canal Locks, is closed due to flooding.
• Sections of the western pathway, between Richmond Road and River Street, are also closed.
• The Champlain Bridge parking lot and stairs to the Champlain Bridge are closed.
• A section of the pathway along the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway, between the P8 parking lot and the Ottawa New Edinburgh Club, is closed.

Mud Lake Pathway

Sections of the Mud Lake Pathway are closed due to flooding. 

Hog's Back Park 

The lower pedestrian pathway is closed between Heron Road and Hog's Back Road.

Leamy Lake Park

• The Leamy Lake Pathway around the lake is flooded.
• The picnic area and the public beach area are flooded. The beach normally opens in June, but the area is closed until further notice.

Gatineau River Pathway

• The section under the Lady Aberdeen Bridge is closed.
• A section of the pathway near Rue de l'Anse aux Bateaux and Rue de l'Escale is also closed.
• The pathway over the Leamy Creek, near Rue Noel, is closed and flooded.

Voyageurs Pathway 

• A one-kilometre section of the pathway, behind the Canadian Museum of History, is closed.
• The NCC recommends yielding to signage and blockades, as many sections of the pathway are closed and flooded in Jacques Cartier Park.
• Several sections between Deschênes and Moussette Park are closed and under water.

Ruisseau-de-la-Brasserie Pathway

Sections near Leamy Lake are closed as they are flooded

Gatineau Park

The Luskville Falls picnic area is closed due to flooding.