By Ritu Lamba
The design for a long-awaited pedestrian bridge over the Rideau Canal at Somerset Street will be finished in February, but a city council budget review in March could halt the project once again.
“At this point, we’re probably about 75 per cent complete,” says Bruce Friesen, manager of the structural division of Delcan Corp., the company selected to consult on the design.
The bridge, which is expected to cost about $4.8 million, is intended to connect Centretown and Sandy Hill via Somerset Street and Campus Station on the Transitway.
The project was first proposed in 1980, but has remained an unfulfilled dream for community members and some city councillors ever since.
Initially, Parks Canada, the canal’s owner, refused to allow construction of the bridge. More recently, budget restraints have delayed the project.
Delcan Corp. is an international company based in Toronto with expertise in civil engineering and architecture. It has been involved in the project since the spring of 2000.
The company is currently working on the detailed design of the bridge, the drawing preparations, and the construction specifications, says Friesen.
He says the bridge will be a steel structure with a concrete deck.
It will have a twin-arch structure, and the arches will be shaped like a wish-bone, meaning they will spread apart on the west side of the structure and come together on the east side.
The railings will be transparent. Energy-efficient lighting will be embedded within them and along the edge of the deck to provide soft, uniform illumination.
The bridge will reflect the heritage design of the canal and also feature a ramp that meets the needs of the disabled, says Vinni Sahni, manager of structural and transit services for the City of Ottawa.
“It will be a very attractive landmark in the city,” he adds.
By shortening the distance between Centretown and Sandy Hill and by providing Centretown residents with direct access to the Transitway, Friesen says the city hopes to promote alternative modes of transportation, including walking, biking, and busing.
The bridge will also make Centretown a convenient place to live for University of Ottawa students, he says.
But the entire project could be shelved after the city’s budget review.
Ottawa is grappling with a $120-million budget deficit. A slew of programs and projects, including the bridge, could be cut in the new year.
Two major supporters of the bridge — Elisabeth Arnold, former councillor for Somerset Ward, and Madeleine Meilleur, former councillor for Rideau-Vanier Ward — have left council.
But the new Somerset Ward councillor, Diane Holmes, says building the bridge is a priority. The pedestrian bridge is one of the campaign promises that helped her win the recent municipal election.
She’s optimistic it will be approved.
“From an official plan perspective, transit comes first . . . and this is one small part of that.”
She says finding money in the city’s operating budget, which covers the cost of maintaining the bridge, will be tougher than squeezing the cash to build the bridge out of the city’s capital budget.
But, Holmes has spoken with Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli about the bridge.
“He seems to think it won’t be a problem,” she says.
Subject to budget approval, the city will invite construction companies to submit bids after the design is completed.
“Our target will be to have [the bridge] open by spring 2005,” Sahni says.
Holmes admits she’ll be very frustrated and angry if the project is delayed, but Sahni looks on the bright side.
“It will get done one way or another, sooner or later.”