Further arguments for an alternate route: Lower Duck/Beauchamp
March 25th, 2009 Posted in Maps, News and Commentary
In a previous posting, we presented an alternate route. Let’s call it Option 6B – Lower Duck/Beauchamp.
Here are a few points to reinforce the validity and overall attractiveness of this option:
- Ottawa wants to prohibit trucks on King Edward/Rideau Streets. Gatineau wants to limit trucks on Montée Paiement in the Kettle Island corridor. The solution may be to build a bridge outside of the city cores and designate it as a truck route in an essentially vacant corridor on both sides of the river – Lower Duck/Beauchamp.
- On the Quebec side, the corridor follows a new route through green space that is mainly bush land and on the Ontario side follows the same route as the current Alternative 6, away from communities.
- This variation on Alternative 6 offers many of the traffic/transportation advantages that Alternative 5, Kettle Island, does but it reduces significantly the main opposition to Alternative 5 i.e. the serious impacts on institutions and on people living in the corridor. Kettle Island is the worst option for transit and according to the consultant encourages car use. This new corridor would provide good connection to planned transit facilities on both sides of the river.
I believe that a strong case can be made based on these points to study this option further in Phase 2 of the study.
The big question is…will the NCC agree?
Tags: alternate route
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March 26th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
This LowerDuck-Beauchamp variation on Lower Duck corridor(6)really sounds like a more sensible option. It provides good access to commercial/industrial land in both Gatineau and Ottawa (via HW 50-Gatineau Airport to HW 417). An extra lane on HW 174 on the Ontario side continues to be part of the solution so that people coming in from Eastern ON are not left behind. What is most valuable with this option: it has the least impact by significant amount on health and safety of people and communities both in Qc and ON as compared to any of the 3 corridors retained for the next phase. People should always count more than hardware.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Very good corridor with minimum disturbance for residents on both sides (Ontario and Quebec). May I suggest a superior crossing (two lanes) for trucks above the 174 to reach Innes road and east ottawa industrial parks and also reach Highway 417 without jamming the Split.
Hubert des Courtis
Civil Engineer E.P.F.L.