Bridge closure a blow to cyclists, but could be a boon to skiers

Wednesday's frigid morning rain wouldn't have been enough to keep Ewen Eberhardt off the Chief William Commanda Bridge, but a chained-up fence and a sign stating "no winter maintenance" was.

On Tuesday the city closed the recently reopened bridge linking Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., due to safety and maintenance concerns.

"Even right now, I would have rather gone for a run and done that loop. So it's disappointing," said Eberhardt.

He uses the former rail bridge four or five times a week for running, walking and cycling and called it an "excellent resource" that gives his Hintonburg community an express route to Gatineau Park.

Still, he's happy the city is doing its due diligence to preserve it through hostile winter weather.

The city's general manager of public works, Alain Gonthier, said the city usually plows and salts pathways during the winter. but that isn't possible for the bridge.

Snow removal equipment could damage the wooden planks, while salt could corrode the steel.

There are also worries about what salt would do to the Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant right next door. Without salt, Gonthier worries that people will slip.

That doesn't mean the bridge will necessarily stay closed all winter.

While there won't be a cleared pathway, it might eventually open for walkers, skiers and snowshoers looking to enjoy a snow-packed winter trail.

"It's closed for now because we cannot keep it safe," said Gonthier.

"But if we get to a situation where we're able to have a snow pack on it and it's possible to be groomed, and we have a groomer to do it, then at that point we would reopen it up — but only at a time when it's safe to do so."

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, whose eastern ward border includes the bridge, said the community always expected to have it open every season, probably as a groomed trail.

He doesn't want to see any delay in making that happen.

"I think what has taken us aback is that we are hearing from staff that, no, that's not moving ahead, at least for the time being, while they assess the conditions on the bridge," he said.

"Everyone when they get up on the bridge is happier and losing the bridge for the winter period would be a diminishment, I think, of that happiness.."

He said he'll be pushing staff to ensure they have a partner ready to groom the trail as soon as there's enough snow.

'Dream big'

That could be the volunteer-driven Kichi Sibi Winter Trail.

Manager Dave Adams said it might be a bit tougher working through the winds and winter elements on a bridge, but he's eager to start compacting snow to add a missing link to the Quebec side.

"This is what we're hoping for," he said. "It's your gateway to the Gatineau hills. Just dream. Dream big."

Groomed winter trails can accommodate pedestrians and even bikes, so long as they have those giant fat tires. 

Dave Robertson of Bike Ottawa said that wouldn't work well for the skinnier tires most cyclists use, and losing the pathway across the bridge will be a major hit to the region's bike network.

"This was a vital link between two communities, and such a rare link," said Robertson.

He said he was "floored" when he heard the bridge was closing. In his view, the only thing keeping the city from clearing the bridge is political will.

Instead of salt, Robertson said staff could use potassium formate, woodchips or even beet juice.

• What cities are spreading on streets to replace corrosive road salt

According to Robertson, keeping a cleared pathway over the river is an important way to help Ottawa meet its targets to get people moving outside of their cars.

"If we had a proper active transportation link that is properly winter maintained down to a bare surface," he said, "it would be a world difference for people to get back and forth."

Adams said a groomed trail could accomplish precisely that, as he imagines people skiing across the river to their jobs.

"I really see Ottawa-Gatineau as one community," he said. "There's lots of people on the other side that need to get to work and vice versa, and having this bridge, it's just wonderful. Let's step up and make it happen."