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The Ontario government has killed any chance that a $100-million west-end bridge could be built over the Ottawa River.
“Over my dead body are they going to put a bridge,” said Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Watson in an interview. “It doesn’t make any economic or environmental sense.”
Mr. Watson, the MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean, says he has the support of his cabinet colleagues and Premier Dalton McGuinty to stop the span. Queen’s Park’s move vetoes the bridge because Ontario, Quebec and the federal government must all approve the crossing locations under consideration.
However, the province still supports building an east-end bridge because Mr. Watson, one of the senior ministers from Ottawa in the McGuinty government, feels that heavy-truck traffic, some of which carries dangerous loads, must be rerouted out of Lowertown.
“There is unanimity in the community that there is a need for an east-end bridge,” the minister said. “There is not unanimity on where it should be in the east end.”
The National Capital Commission, which represents federal interests in the matter, is conducting a study concerning where to locate new bridges in the region with input from the Quebec and Ontario governments.
Meanwhile, Ottawa city councillors in the area have been meeting with Mr. Watson and constituents in an effort to stop the span. Bay Councillor Alex Cullen, senior federal Tory minister John Baird and Mr. Watson have spoken out against the bridge.
The minister feels the two west-end locations chosen by the NCC – with connections at Holly Acres Road and Moodie Drive – don’t make any economic sense because they are located at one of the widest points in the Ottawa River in the Britannia and Crystal Bay areas. As well, a west-end bridge would be very expensive because the river is navigable by boats there so must be very high.
Furthermore, the Holly Acres Road site would bisect Andrew Haydon Park, Mr. Watson said, one of the most popular greenspaces in the city. The park is used as the backyard for a number of apartments in the area. The Moodie Drive location would cross the NCC Greenbelt to join with Highway 417, something Mr. Watson says the Crown corporation would be loath to do.
“Going through Andy Haydon Park is one of the most ludicrous ideas from start to finish. Andy Haydon Park is the front and backyard for that neighbourhood. That’s where kids go to play. That’s where they picnic. That’s where families gather. It would eviscerate that park right down the middle.”
Mr. Watson said that the west-end option has created difficulties for people in the area selling their homes. “It has caused a great deal of angst.” Furthermore, the minister said “the west end took one for the team” during the last Ottawa River crossing, that being the widening of the Champlain Bridge. “The real focus is on the east” this time out, he added, but he declined to offer a suggestion on the best east-end option.
Mr. Watson said there was no push from the Aylmer side for a bridge and wondered what the effect would be on the nature of that quaint, riverfront community. As well, the minister believes that a west-end bridge will contribute to urban sprawl in Gatineau, not something to be encouraged, and that the bridge would quickly fill with autos, failing to speed traffic during rush hour.
Meanwhile in a wide-ranging interview this week, Mr. Watson said the Ontario government has concerns about the cost of the proposed Ottawa light-rail project. Because of a tunnel in the new project, preliminary estimates have skyrocketed to $2 billion—more than double the amount of the light-rail plan voted down by Ottawa City Council in late 2006.
The minister feels that light-rail could be used effectively on the downtown surface Albert-Slater corridor if bus congestion could be managed properly. He believes that the first $919-million proposal died because downtown businesspeople were concerned that the corridor, already packed with buses, could not handle the additional pressure posed by the light-rail project.
However, the province will not dictate how the light-rail project will be built, Mr. Watson said, because Queen’s Park does not want to micro-manage the project nor its cities. That said, the province has the final say over whether it will fund the proposal.
“I don’t see us taking over the project,” the minister said. “That’s not the style we’ve developed in dealing with municipalities.”
Ontario wants to see a plan that creates a substantial increase in the number of riders on the city transit system. “We are anxious to see a master plan that is not only going to pass the test of increased ridership but also a long-term vision for the city. We’re looking at the next couple of decades.”
Ken Gray is the city editorial page editor and a Citizen editorial board member. His column runs on Fridays.
E-mail: kgray@thecitizen.canwest.com
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008