City Closes Commanda Bridge For Winter
The Commanda Bridge was not designed for winter pedestrian or cycling use.
This is a release from the City of Ottawa:
M E M O / N O T E D E S E R V I C E
To / Destinataire Mayor and Members of Council File/N° de fichier:
From / Expéditeur General ManagerPublic Works
Department
and
General Manager, Recreation,
Cultural, and Facility Services
Subject / Objet Seasonal closure – Chief William Commanda Bridge
Date: November 21, 2023
The purpose of this memo is to advise Council of the seasonal closure of the Chief William Commanda Bridge, starting today.
The Chief William Commanda Bridge multi-use pathway opened this past summer, offering pedestrians and cyclists scenic views and access to pathways throughout Gatineau and Ottawa.
As noted previously, the Bridge was not designed for winter pedestrian or cycling use. Due to the bridge’s steel structure and timber plank surface, the City is unable to safely undertake any plowing, salting or grit operations. With the dropping temperatures and an early winter weather event posing risks of ice accumulation on the bridge deck, the City is closing the structure today and asking all residents to respect posted signage on site to please stay off the bridge for their safety.
First Big Winter Storm Expected Tuesday
The City continues to explore opportunities that will allow the bridge to be used safely during winter months as a recreational facility (eg: snowshoeing, cross-country skiing.) The City does not undertake the grooming of winter trails but does partner with community groups that have expertise in this area.
While these explorations continue, the City will also use this first year of operation to assess winter use requirements and feasibility, and to better understand how the structure responds to winter weather.
If you have any questions regarding the closure, please contact Alain Gonthier by email at Alain.Gonthier@ottawa.ca or by phone at 613-580-2424, ext. 21197.
Should you have questions regarding the exploration of winter grooming and recreation, please contact Dan Chenier by email at Dan.Chenier@ottawa.ca or by phone at 613-580-2424, ext. 24295.
1
Original signed by,
Alain Gonthier Dan Chenier
General Manager General Manager
Public Works Department Recreation, Cultural, and Facility Services Department
cc: Senior Leadership Team
Public Works Departmental Leadership Team
Director, Infrastructure Services
Chief Communications Officer, Public Information and Media Relations
Manager, Corporate Communications
Manager, Council and Committee Services
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One of the reasons for opening the bridge was to get people on both sides of the river out of their cars by shortening their commutes to work and school. With Bayview Station and the junction of the two LRT lines at the south end of the bridge, it gave people an easy link to transit. If that convenience is only available for part of the year, why would someone get rid of their car and, if it’s sitting in the driveway, how hard is it for them to slip back into using it all the time?
It’s great to have a recreational trail across the river but wouldn’t it make sense to have a true multi-use operation there twelve months of the year? Is the bridge wide enough to sustain a pathway as well as snowshoe/cross-country ski tracks?
We all know that Watson was opposed to these uses for the bridge. Is it possible that his hand was at work limiting the bridge’s usefulness in spite of the City’s policy goals which support multi-modal ways of getting around while reducing our carbon footprint?