A consultant’s report says the best location for an interprovincial bridge is at Kettle Island, but it appears few people want the associated truck traffic running through their backyard.
More than 40 public delegations signed up to speak for and against the bridge at a transportation committee meeting yesterday in response to the National Capital Commission report conducted by consultants Roche/NCE.
The study found the Kettle Island location, using the Aviation Parkway as a link to the highways, was best for the new bridge.
Steven Taylor, president of Roche/NCE, said the Kettle Island location scored the highest in cost, transportation performance and environmental effects, compared to a dozen other bridge locations considered.
The drawbacks are that it would turn the Aviation Parkway into a truck route, requiring sound mitigation measures in a number of residential communities.
Speaking for 15 community organizations, Jane Brammer said she hoped council would request that the environmental-assessment area incorporate a second bridge east of Kettle Island at the Gatineau airport.
“It’s not a perfect fix. There are remediation efforts required. There are other problems. It would cost more, but it would allow more direct traffic links to highways and it would keep traffic away from communities,” she said.
But a bridge location east of Kettle Island was opposed by a number of community groups in the east end of the city, who spoke in support of Kettle Island.
“Anything east of Kettle Island doesn’t make a lot of sense for our community. It would create a lot of traffic going down our main arteries,” said Tim Tierney, president of the Beacon Hill North Community Association. “We have a lot of school and community groups in the neighbourhood.”
