Chaudière Crossing to close during summer months
Aylmer Bulletin
An important phase of the transformation project of the Chaudière Crossing will begin on June 3 resulting in the rerouting of vehicular traffic to nearby bridges for an estimated period of 3 months. However, the crossing will remain open to transit, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Once fall arrives, a radically different crossing should welcome commuters. “It will change how people will move through the Chaudière Crossing, making it safer and easier for cars, bikes, buses, pedestrians and trucks to co-exist. When it re-opens, the Chaudière Crossing will be a place where people of all ages and abilities feel safe and comfortable crossing the river,” stated a message on the Transformation Chaudière Website.
The transformation of the historic crossing is tied to the development of the Zibi neighbourhood. Zibi is an important community project planned on both shores on the Ottawa River focused around the Chaudière Crossing. During the crossing’s closure, Gatineau will take the opportunity to bring in municipal services to the anticipated development.
“The closure won’t be fun, but we are doing what we can to make everything more bearable. I’m aware there will be inconveniences,” said Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin during a press conference.
To accommodate commuters during the summer months, the STO will increase the frequency of buses as a way to entice residents to use public transit. “We estimated the extra costs at about $50,000 a week for this increase in service,” indicated STO Director of Operations Éric Brazeau during the press conference.
As pedestrian access will remain uninterrupted, the city is encouraging active transportation, which is an easier sell during the summer months.
Occasional short-term lane closures normally scheduled during off peak hours are also expected starting in fall 2019, while the closure of one lane for the duration of the Zibi project is expected from June 2021 to December 2022.
