Lansdowne, City plans now include footbridge
Posted Feb 19, 2010 By Desmond Devoy
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EMC News - The Midtown Footbridge proposal is gaining attention at City Hall and Lansdowne Park. 
John Dance
Last month, Old Ottawa East residents presented City staff with more than 200 pages of research and ideas for the proposed midtown footbridge. From left are Midtown Footbridge Group members Heather Jarrett from Old Ottawa East, Jayne Stoyles and daughter Terena from Old Ottawa South and Allison Dingle from The Glebe.
The pedestrian and cycling link crossing the Rideau Canal between Old Ottawa East and The Glebe is now being studied by the City of Ottawa and is part of the planning for the Lansdowne Live redevelopment plan.
"The City has approved $1 million for design feasibility studies," for the Midtown Footbridge and the proposed bridge from Somerset Street East in Sandy Hill to Donald Street in Overbrook, said John Dance, head of the Old Ottawa East Community Association's (OOECA) footbridge committee. Dance stated that the report's focus would be on selecting the best locations for the respective bridges.
"It's not so much convincing them (the City.) They're convinced that it is a good idea," said Dance. "It seems to be moving along quite well."
But one of the major questions for City staff is "how do you have a safe crossing at Colonel By Drive and the Queen Elizabeth Driveway?" The National Capital Commission (NCC) was supposed to be conducting a pedestrian safety study on both roads, but "the NCC study has been delayed again," said Dance, during the OOECA's monthly meeting at the Old Town Hall, 61 Main Street, on the evening of Tuesday, February 9.
Regardless of what type of future is chosen for Lansdowne Park across the canal, the likelihood of a footbridge being part of the overall design seems to be gaining steam.
In the first design report that was presented to Ottawa City Council in early September 2009, "there was nothing mentioned," said Dance, about a footbridge. "Now, this reconsideration of Lansdowne...this is good," said Dance of the George Dark-led design committee, which is now looking at including the footbridge plan into the overall design.
Dance admitted that the $1 million price tag for the City's study "is a lot of money," but he added that "they spent that kind of money on the Corktown (footbridge) too and it turned out to be good."
Dance reiterated one of the selling points of the footbridge, that it would be "filling gaps," for pedestrians and cyclists, and would also help connect merchants on Bank Street with merchants on Main Street, and vice versa.
While there appears to be growing support for the footbridge proposal, the question of where, exactly, it will be placed, is still up in the air, though the area from Clegg Street to Fifth Avenue is often mentioned.
OOECA member Ron Rose reported that members of the Old Ottawa South Community Association (OOSCA) addressed the joint Transportation and Transit Committee meeting at Ottawa City Hall on Monday, February 8, and Ward 13 (Rideau-Rockcliffe) City Councillor Jacques Legendre "asked them 'What do your members from the Clegg Street area think of the footbridge?'" only to be told that that was actually in Old Ottawa East, so, in truth, they did not have any members there.
Rose also revealed that he had attended a "hastily called consultation," on Lansdowne Park's future. In the plans Rose saw that "half of Old Ottawa East is included in the study area. Anything from the canal to Main Street was included, but not the footbridge," he said. He told the hosts that he would like to see the footbridge included in the plans. On top of this "we asked that the Lees Avenue/Main Street/417 interchange be included in the study...that was also accepted."
"The footbridge is establishing itself in whatever capacity Lansdowne Live takes on," said OOECA President Nick Masciantonio. "People are buying into it...People want something done at Lansdowne Park, whatever that is, and the bridge will be part of that."
"They mention it, but I feel it should be front and centre," said OOECA member Christian Pupp.
Pierre Johnson, the assistant to Ward 17 (Capital) City Councillor Clive Doucet, was also pleased to report that "the bridge is in the budget," for the City, which was recently passed at City Council.
On a somewhat related local transportation matter, Johnson reported to the gathering that, in the recent City budget vote, "the Bank Street reconstruction was deferred, which was very good," for a period of one year. He also pointed out that "Bronson Avenue is scheduled for reconstruction, as it Main Street." On Bronson, "they are talking about widening the sidewalks," but Johnson hastened to add that "I don't think you would see Bronson and Bank and Main Street done at the same time!"
The Bronson roadwork would start north of the Queensway, but the Bank Street reconstruction, whenever that begins, would likely take up to two years.
ddevoy@thenowemc.ca
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