By Timothy Bryant
An opening for the Rideau Canal footbridge proposed by the city’s pedestrian advisory committee is being moved to coincide with the planned official opening next spring.
The proposed ceremony, originally planned for the end of the month, was viewed as a “necessary thing,” says committee member Gordon Glenn.
Glenn says he felt that since other buildings and bridges have openings, the bridge should be no different – holding an opening would let the nearby communities know that the bridge exists, and why it’s there.
However, Glenn changed his mind about the November opening when advised that the city was already planning an official ceremony in the spring.
The committee planned the November opening because it was “not aware of any sort of official timeframe or plan” for a city-run official opening, said Glenn.
He added that if the footbridge “receives positive media attention and includes more members of the community in the opening ceremony,” then he is supportive of pushing back the planned opening to coincide with the city’s opening.
In a Sept. 29 advertisement in Centretown News, Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes announced the spring opening, saying that invitations would be extended to residents of adjacent neighbourhoods and cycling, recreation and heritage groups.
The bridge, connecting Somerset Street West with the University of Ottawa and Sandy Hill, has been “well-used since it opened” in mid-September, says David Gladstone, another committee member.
Gladstone says he believed there was no opening when the bridge was finished because Mayor Bob Chiarelli did not want to be associated with it.
It was a “bridge built by default,” says Gladstone and was viewed as “foolish, almost [a] toy bridge for downtowners” by those opposed to it.
The bridge was seen as unnecessary because of its proximity to the Laurier Avenue Bridge
Glenn defended the bridge, saying it serves a need because it’s an “actual transportation corridor” to the University of Ottawa and the Sandy Hill community.
Because of this, it is “more than a concrete fixture across the canal,” he says, but a vital part of the city’s infrastructure.
Holmes explained there had been no opening for the bridge because it lacked a name. She has solicited input into naming the bridge after a local historical figure.
When told of the committee’s proposed November opening ceremony, Holmes was “thrilled that so many people [were] interested in the bridge.”
She said the committee “could have their opening” if they wanted to and there is “nothing to stop them.” But it would not be an officially recognized city event.