Ottawa opens Chief William Commanda Bridge for the spring

The Chief William Commanda Bridge is now open for the season, following a winter of complaints that the popular bridge over the Ottawa River was closed to the public.

The city of Ottawa announced the bridge opened Monday morning for the spring, but the bridge remaining open will depend on the weather.

"We will continue to monitor the weather and the bridge condition to ensure the bridge surface remains safe for users," Alain Gonthier, Public Works general manager, said in a statement.

"In the event of a weather event or drop in temperature causing snow and/or ice accumulation on the bridge deck, staff may be required to temporarily close the bridge until conditions allow for safe pedestrian and cycling access."

Several cyclists and pedestrians were seen already taking advantage of the newly opened bridge on Monday.

“We do a lot of cycling in the city, so we are really looking forward to this," said cyclist Anthony Leaning.

Cyclist Rebecca Aird was also happy to see the bridge open again.

"It connects up to the Portage Trail on the other side, which is gorgeous and goes all the way up to Aylmer. It's just a spectacular view of the river," Aird said.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe was one of the first people on the newly opened bridge Monday morning, posting a photo on social media.

It was exciting to go for a run early this morning on the Chief William Commanda Bridge. The bridge is now officially open!

C'était vraiment agréable de courir sur le pont Chief-William-Commanda tôt ce matin. Le pont est maintenant officiellement ouvert ! pic.twitter.com/tls7AXri6V

— Mark Sutcliffe (@_MarkSutcliffe) March 25, 2024

The city closed the Chief William Commanda Bridge in November for the winter, saying the multi-use pathway was not designed for winter use and that traditional plowing and salting would damage the structure.

The $23.9 million pedestrian-cycling bridge opened in August.

In a memo to council last week, Gonthier says staff will continue to explore the potential for winter use of the bridge. 

"The 2023/2024 winter season saw below average snowfall and higher than normal temperatures across the city," Gonthier said.

"As a result of these atypical weather patterns, staff were unable to accurately assess the feasibility of alternate winter maintenance activities, as well as the potential use of the bridge for recreational activities (e.g: cross-country skiing)."

Coun. Ariel Troster says staff were hoping snow would allow the path to be groomed as a cross-country trail, but not enough fell this year.

"I think it's a good time for staff to reconvene with counselors who are interested and also biking and skiing and other recreational groups to talk through the options to figure out how we can keep it open either year round or most of the year round," Troster told CTV News.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Peter Szperling