Alayne McGregor
The Chief William Commanda Bridge finally opened on August 4, just in time for the long weekend, and to the delight of several Centretown cyclists and pedestrians.
The opening was announced without prior warning in a video by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. He said this was a soft opening, and the official opening would be in September.
The bridge links the Trillium Pathway (and the Ottawa River Pathway and the Bayview LRT station) on the Ottawa side with the Sentier des Voyageurs pathway on the Gatineau side. It allows cyclists and pedestrians to avoid the continuing construction on the Chaudière and Champlain Bridges.
Get maps of the NCC paths on both sides of the river which connect to this bridge.
The former rail bridge has been under construction since November, 2021, to add a new deck, lighting, and railings and to rehabilitate the substructure. Further work is expected on the substructure until next summer. A city release said there will be temporary disruptions to bridge access over the next year for this work, which will be announced in advance.
Tannis Bujaczek, who lives in Little Italy, told The BUZZ she was thrilled at the opening.
“I cycle to work in Gatineau, and will now have exactly one street to cross between my home and work, versus crossing streets and sharing the road with cars at various points in the commute, making me much safer. Plus, I’ll get to avoid some really bad construction (the War Museum, the terrible Chaudière crossing). It wasn’t open when I went to work this morning, but it is how I am getting home tonight!”
Paul Pothier, who lives in the Golden Triangle, said his bike trips to Gatineau Park will improve.
“My ‘usual’ route involves taking the bike lane on Laurier, then north on Bay to Wellington and cross on the Portage Bridge. Many drivers on Laurier can’t be bothered to respect the cycle lane and it’s often blocked with cars and trucks. I have nearly been hit several times by turning vehicles. The surface is in poor condition.
“The Bay St. cycle track is not very comfortable to ride on – given the way it rises and falls to avoid the slightest inconvenience to any driver that has to cross it (and don’t get me started about its condition on the southbound side.) Approaching the Portage Bridge there is the start of protective curbing that is out of place (intruding into the bike lane) more often than not.”
With the Command Bridge open, he can take the Queen Elizabeth Driveway to Dow’s Lake, then a path to Carling and then the Trillium Pathway, and then across the bridge.
“Far fewer opportunities to get hit by inattentive drivers; far fewer requirements to deal with poor quality infrastructure.”
Alex Duncan said that she and her grandmother, who walk together each week in Centretown, “are looking forward to the pedestrian access the bridge will provide. We love to walk down to the park and check out the hydro dam, but crossing the bridges over to Gatineau-Hull in that spot is unpleasant due to the existing infrastructure which prioritizes vehicles.
“We’ve found so much mental and physical health benefit from these moments alongside the river. Living downtown and having access to nature and multi-use paths a few blocks away is a treasured part of living in Ottawa for both of us.”