MPCA Joins Alexandra Bridge Coalition

MPCA has joined the Alexandra Bridge Coalition, a group of heritage, transportation and community organizations that oppose the federal government’s plan to demolish the Alexandra Bridge and replace it with a new bridge. See https://heritageottawa.org/alexandra-bridge.

From a broad perspective this proposal would remove an engineering and historical icon featured in many photographs of the parliamentary precinct, create tons of waste and GHG emissions, and increase the number of cars dumped into the narrow streets of Ottawa’s Lowertown and Byward Market and into Ile de Hull. The current Alexandra Bridge carries only 9% of automobile traffic across the Ottawa River, but the majority of pedestrian and cycling traffic.

From a Manor Park perspective, a car-centric Alexandra Bridge would increase traffic along the Hemlock/Beechwood/St. Patrick corridor; traffic that is already high and threatened to increase under pressure from development, both underway and proposed. Further, the proponents of replacing the Alexandra Bridge within Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) are the same who are advocating for a sixth interprovincial crossing, that might well be at Kettle Island. By standing together with like-minded groups we can stop both proposals and transition to better transit and active transportation links across the Ottawa River.

If this issue is important to you, please make your views known, as indicated in the Take Action section of the above-referenced website.