Eastern Bridge in the National Capital Region
Learn more about the steps we’re taking to plan for the new Eastern Bridge in the National Capital Region (NCR).
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Project overview
- Location
- Montée Paiement, Gatineau, Quebec, to Aviation Parkway, Ottawa, Ontario
- Type of project
- New construction
- Lead department
- Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)
- Project status
- Pre-planning
- Next steps
- Planning and design
Project description
We’re working with partners to advance planning and design of the Eastern Bridge for a population that has doubled since the last crossing, the Portage Bridge, was built in 1973 and continues to grow.
Leveraging existing roadways, the new corridor would extend from Autoroute 50 at Montée Paiement in Gatineau, to Highway 417 at the Aviation Parkway in Ottawa. It’s expected to be about 12 kilometres long and would include a new bridge. The bridge is expected to include separate pedestrian and cycling pathways and accommodate public transit, as well as personal and commercial vehicles.
Advantages of a new bridge
There have been many studies looking at building a new bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau. Past studies concluded that we need a new bridge to improve interprovincial transportation and mobility.
Expected project benefits include:
- efficient movement of people and goods
- reduction in truck traffic in the Ottawa downtown core
- opportunities for more direct east-end commuting
- new options for active and public transportation
- strengthened economic dynamism of the regions on both sides of the Ottawa river
- support for future regional growth
Montée Paiement–Aviation Parkway Corridor
Evidence from evaluations over the last 15 years has consistently recommended the Montée Paiement–Aviation Parkway Corridor.
In 2024, the government identified the Montée Paiement–Aviation Parkway Corridor as the preferred location due to its potential benefits and lower impacts associated with its construction and operation. As the project will use existing roadways, these include:
- lowest impacts to air quality and previously undisturbed natural environments, including less mature tree canopy
- better proximity to existing commercial properties in both municipalities, which will benefit from access to a new bridge
- faster construction timeline
Process and next steps
Following the 2024 Fall Economic Statement that announced a commitment to the project, PSPC will continue to work in close collaboration with the National Capital Commission (NCC) as an integrated project team.
The integrated project team will coordinate the gathering of new information, and advance planning and conceptual designs of the bridge. The new studies will include mobility trends and changes such as:
- population
- employment
- environmental and climate change trends
- economic growth
- land development patterns
The project will take place in 4 stages:
Stage 1: Pre-planning
- procure technical advisory services to:
- assist with developing design options
- advance studies and the impact assessment
- elaborate the procurement strategy
- advance further studies and assessments, including:
- finalizing the technical refresh of the Long-Term Integrated Interprovincial Crossings Plan based on the recent results of the Origin-Destination Survey and the Interprovincial Truck Mobility Data Collection
- conducting an environmental impact assessment
- engage with the public, partners and stakeholders, including municipal and provincial partners and Indigenous communities
- develop the project description for the impact assessment process
- develop the functional requirements and the planning and design principles, which will:
- align with the technical refresh of the Long-Term Integrated Interprovincial Crossings Plan
- reflect updated transportation projections
- integrate initial engagement feedback
Stage 2: Planning and design
- finalize the impact assessment and technical studies
- procure the services of consulting engineers and the technical advisor
- advance concept designs
- seek feedback from the public, stakeholders and Indigenous communities
- seek approval of the design concept from the NCC Board of Directors, in accordance with the National Capital Act, as part of its regulatory federal approval authority
Stage 3: Procurement
- advance the procurement process and award contracts for the final designer and builder via competitive requests for qualifications and proposals processes
Stage 4: Final design and construction
- seek feedback from the public, stakeholders and Indigenous communities
- finalize the design
- seek approval of the final design from the NCC’s Board of Directors
- build the new bridge
The project will respect the region’s natural environment and cultural heritage. The scope of the project will be refined following the results of the technical studies, assessments and engagement activities.
Project background
The need for an interprovincial link east of the NCR has been recognized since 1915 to unify the shores of Gatineau and Ottawa and integrate transportation and mobility. Research included:
1915: The Holt-Bennett plan recommended a bridge east of the Gatineau River with a network of highways.
1950: The Greber plan proposed a bridge east of Kettle Island to connect Ottawa and Gatineau in a federal district.
In addition to these reports, the integrated project office has commissioned many studies in recent years, including:
- 2009: The NCC, in partnership with the Province of Ontario and the Province of Quebec, undertook a technical study on 10 potential corridors for a new bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau.
- 2010 to 2013: The NCC, in partnership with the Province of Ontario and the Province of Quebec, continued technical studies on 3 potential eastern bridge corridors, identified in 2009 as having the most potential.
- 2020: The NCC completed the refresh of the 2013 technical study on the 3 same corridors.
- 2019 to 2024: PSPC and the NCC refresh studies with data updated by the:
- revised Long-Term Integrated Interprovincial Crossings Plan, which considered new information from the:
- geotechnical study
2024: The Government of Canada authorized further studies on the Montée Paiement–Aviation Parkway Corridor, and announced its commitment to an additional multimodal bridge over the Ottawa River in the Fall Economic Statement.
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