Alexandra Bridge: Groups want to save historic interprovincial bridge [Video]

Plans are in the works to tear down the Alexandra Bridge and rebuild it in the next decade; however, some groups are calling on the federal government to consider alternate options for the aging infrastructure.

The government says a new bridge will come with one lane allocated to active transportation and two lanes dedicated to vehicle traffic, with the option to convert those lanes to public transit in the future.

Claude Royer with the Alexandra Bridge Coalition says, “We think that the government is going on the wrong path making it a highway bridge. They’re hiring highway engineers to design it, as opposed to (keeping) the iconic bridge that could put the priority on public transportation, and pedestrian and bike traffic.”

The interprovincial bridge connects Sussex Drive in Ottawa to Des Allumettières Boulevard in Gatineau. The federal government is planning to demolish the more than 120-year-old structure in 2028 and …