Rideau Canal pedestrian bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The unnamed Rideau Canal pedestrian bridge (also referred to as the Somerset Street bridge) is a footbridge in Ottawa, Canada built across the Rideau Canal. The bridge is located about 400m south of the Laurier Avenue Bridge. It was opened on September 21, 2006.
It links Somerset Street East in Sandy Hill and the University of Ottawa with Somerset Street West in Centretown. Previously the canal had only been crossable at this point during the winter months when it was frozen. People tended to cross late in the season when the ice was melting, which some worried was unsafe. The idea of such a bridge has existed since at least 1984, first being proposed by councillor Diane Holmes. It went through many years of review and feasibility studies. During the 1990s it was supported by Regional Councillor Madeleine Meilleur, but there was never enough money to get it built. The bridge was most recently championed by city councillor Clive Doucet, and city council narrowly approved the $5 million bridge project in January of 2005.
The university and its students were strong supporters of the bridge during its construction. The bars and restaurants of Elgin Street were also eager to have more students. The bridge also links Centretown to the Campus Transitway station just across the canal. Some Centretown residents have opposed the project because it will increase the number of students in their neighbourhood. Parks Canada also long opposed a bridge, feeling it would disrupt the aesthetics of their Rideau Canal.
It has been reported[1] that the Ottawa District Labour Council and the Bytown Museum are advocating to name the bridge after Corktown, the historic neighbourhood inhabited by the Irish labourers who built the canal.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Better Bicycling, "Pedestrian & cyclist bridge set to open", Fall 2006
Architect: du Toit Architects Landscape Architect: du Toit Allsopp Hillier
Engineering and Planning: Delcan Corporation
