Proposal for pedestrian bridge connecting Aylmer to Britannia gaining momentum

As residents enjoy the capital’s new crossing at the Chief William Commanda Bridge, there's a new proposal for another pedestrian bridge linking Ottawa to the Quebec side—this one further west at the Deschênes Rapids.

"Unless you're doing rafting, nobody's really using that place. And it's the shortest distance between both reefs. So I said, well, maybe a bridge here," said Aylmer resident Jean-Pierre Caron, who is revitalizing the concept with a proposal and public survey for a pedestrian bridge.

The envisioned bridge would link the Deschênes Rapids area in Aylmer to Britannia Village near Mud Lake. The estimated cost for this project is projected to range from $45 to 70 million.

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"For or against, it's fine. I want your input, and I'll feed that back to the NCC," Caron said.

Supporters of the concept are excited about the potential shortcut that would link the two communities.

"This would be really great. I mean, people could live here and commute to work back and forth to the west end and so yeah, I would be very happy if they made such a bridge," said Aylmer resident and cyclist Richard Dufault.

"Just with the parks and everything along there. It's beautiful. We're kind of missing it and missing that connection," added Megan Filliol, another Aylmer resident.

Stephan Paape says the pedestrian crossing could reduce the demand for cars on the Champlain Bridge. 

"By having that option…people who do need to drive can have an easier time doing it, but that the people who have another choice could maybe take it and get where they're going faster," Paape said.

Across the river in Britannia, residents have mixed feelings. While some acknowledge the convenience, others express reservations about dealing with years of construction noise and increased traffic.

"I think it would be convenient. But I'd have to think about what the impact might be. Nobody likes to live through the construction of a bridge," said Britannia resident Kathleen Maynard.

"You move to an area because you like the existing way things are. And so typically you know, your gut response is 'I don't want a drastic change.' And that's fair. And that's the way everybody would typically feel to have a bridge dumped into their neighborhood," said Chris Conger, another Britannia resident.

Liberal Member of Parliament Greg Fergus also supports the proposal but admits there are some challenges. 

"I’m hearing some of the people who are expressing some conservation concerns that they might have in terms of that very sensitive ecosystem that they have across the river at Mud Lake. But if we can satisfy those concerns, I think…giving more active connections between the two communities will serve everybody's interests," Fergus said.

The proposed bridge is currently just an idea and no formal submission to the government has been made at this time.

Anyone interested in taking the survey on the new proposed bridge can follow this link.