Stop The Kettle Island Bridge

Kettle Island versus Gatineau Airport – Important Considerations

Please see the following comparison of the Kettle Island and the Gatineau Airport corridors, submitted to stopthebridge.org from Julie Taub and Derek Chase, concerned citizens. Thanks for your contribution!  Note that this post has been updated by the authors to reflect current information, and to align with the crossing location terminology used by the consultants.
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Length of Corridor
The Kettle Island bridge corridor passing through established residential communities, RCMP stables and fields, Aviation Museum runway and encroaching on the Montfort Hospital Emergency entrance in Ontario and residential communities in Quebec is 7.0 km long. However the MccLaurin Bay / Gatineau Airport corridor passing through established residential communities is 0 km with no expropriation requirements.

Impact on established residential communities
The population impacted by the Kettle Island corridor in Ontario would comprise nearly 100,000 people in 10 communities (Vanier, Overbrook, Manor Park, (Manor Park Hill, Manor Park East), Viscount Alexander, Castle Heights, Carson Grove, Cyrville, New Edinburgh, Lindenlea, Rockcliffe Park, Rockcliffe Mews ) whereas the McLaurin Bay / Gatineau Airport corridor would pass through non-populated undeveloped land.

Ring Road
The main argument for a bridge in the east end, such as one at McLaurin Bay / Gatineau Airport, is that it can be linked to the proposed Ring Road.  It would link the east end directly to highway 417 and on to the Ottawa Airport and to highway 416, and eventually to 417 at the west end.  Residents in the east end will be major beneficiaries of this route since Hwy 174 will have to be widened easing the gridlock at the Queensway Hwy 417 junction when travelling downtown and westward. This corridor will link into the Ring road proposed in the city of Ottawa 20-20 Transportation Master Plan (Map 6 Urban Road Network) eventually providing for a direct link to the Ottawa International Airport and to the Gatineau Airport. The Kettle Island corridor does not fit into Ottawa 20-20 Transportation Master Plan

Commuter traffic
Via the Kettle Island crossing, commuter traffic from Gatineau, excluding trucks, will not necessarily continue the 4 kilometre route from the Ontario shore to the 417 exchange. Gatineau commuters would probably opt for the faster and direct route to downtown Ottawa, turning right at Rockcliffe Parkway or Hemlock. These two arteries are already at gridlock during the peak hours. Truck traffic wanting to head to Ottawa West would still cross at King Edward.

A Kettle Island crossing would result in gridlock and negative impact for far more people than a McLaurin Bay / Gatineau Airport crossing.  It would include not only the directly affected communities but anyone using the resulting, busy intersection of the Queensway-174 and the Aviation Highway-417, and the radiating highways, in future.

The McLaurin Bay / Gatineau Airport corridor would result in the widening of Hwy 174, which would benefit the residents in Orleans, a growing community

Truck Traffic to remain on King Edward
The consultant’s report states the Kettle Island corridor will reduce truck traffic from 3,950 to 2,275 for 2031 daily on King Edward, source – “Kettle Island daily truck volumes” chart in the consultants’ website. Around a 40% reduction by 2031
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The report states that truck traffic cannot be banned from King Edward. Yet Kettle Island corridor will impact 10 communities with a combined population of nearly 100,000.  Truck Traffic: “the forecast truck traffic attracted to the corridor” is at 1,725 for Kettle Island.

Ancillary costs to Ottawa
Although the construction costs of any bridge will be borne equally by Quebec, Ontario and the Federal government, the ancillary costs on the Ontario side, including the 4 kilometre Kettle Island corridor on the Ontario side, displacement of the RCMP stables and musical ride, relocation of the runaway at the Rockcliffe airport .5 km east, widening the Aviation parkway, redesign and reconstruction of the 174 / 417 intersection and necessary mitigating measures for Montfort Hospital will be paid for entirely by Ottawa taxpayers. Yet it is estimated that only about 10% of Ottawa commuters will benefit from Kettle Island as opposed to 90% of Gatineau commuters.

Weightings
The consultants only gave 9% weight to the impact on residential communities, institutions and national heritage sites (misleadingly labelled “cultural” in the study) whereas they gave 29% weight to an insignificant (25%) reduction of truck traffic on King Edward.

The consultants only gave the natural environment 17% weight versus 26% to costs, completely unacceptable in 2008.

Previous reports
Interestingly the 1999 Cartier / Totten Sims Hubicki Associates consultants’ report concluded that construction costs at Kettle Island to be the most expensive of the sites considered, more expensive than the McLaurin Bay / Gatineau Airport site.

The JACPAT study of 1995 concluded that Kettle Island would be the preferred site only if built within 10 years.  The Cartier / Totten Sims Hubicki  Associates consultants’ report of 1999 concluded that Kettle Island was the least preferred site regarding costs and traffic reduction whereas Masson-Angers / Cumberland was the best choice.  McLaurin Bay was second.

Curiously, the current consultants’ report reverses the order; Kettle Island is selected as the best site and Masson-Anger / Cumberland the least preferred site. Even more interesting is the fact that Steve Taylor was the project manager of the bridge study for both the 1999 and 2007/8 reports.
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