Stop The Kettle Island Bridge

Letter from Marie Lemay, CEO of the NCC

Below are excerpts from a letter from Marie Lemay, CEO of the NCC, recapping where the NCC is in the process and where they are going.

According to this letter, the consultant for Phase 2 will be selected by September 2009 and Phase 2 of the project is planned to be completed and approved by October 2013.

Based on this timeline, construction could, theoretically, begin any time after that, pending funding approvals and awarding of associated contracts.
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The Interprovincial Crossing Environmental Assessment (EA) study is part of long-term transportation planning by the federal, provincial and municipal authorities in Canada’s Capital Region. This EA Study is lead jointly by the NCC, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and the ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ), with technical support of the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau. ROCHE-NCE provided consulting expertise to the study partners during Phase 1 of the EA study, which has now been completed.

Phase 1 of the EA study recommended Kettle Island Corridor as the highest ranked and technically preferred location for a future interprovincial crossing. It also recommended carrying forward a number of important planning strategies.

The summary report, the technical studies and outcome of the public consultations of the final report on Phase 1 of the EA study were made public on January 5, 2009.

In order to proceed to Phase 2 and complete the Interprovincial Crossings EA Study in conformity with the Partnership Agreement between the governments of Canada, Quebec and Ontario, unanimity amongst NCC, MTO and MTQ, on the number and location of crossing corridor(s) and alignments is required. Our funding partners, MTO and MTQ, in a letter dated January 27, 2009, informed us of their interest in doing more detailed study of the first three ranking corridors instead of only the first ranking corridor.

On February 13, 2009, the NCC’s Board of Directors approved the recommendations contained in the January 5, 2009, Interprovincial Crossings EA Study – Summary Report, by Roche-NCE, with the following amendments:

• In addition to the consultant’s recommendation to assess in detail the Kettle Island crossing, the corridors at Lower Duck Island/Lorrain Boulevard, and Lower Duck Island/Gatineau Airport/McLaurin Bay be included in Phase 2 of the study, subject to approval by the three funding partners, NCC, the MTO and the MTQ.

• The Board also approved that the commercial vehicles planning study to review interprovincial crossings and the ability to meet forecast demand be started in parallel to the EA study.

The Board’s decision has been communicated to the MTO and MTQ in a letter asking that they confirm their commitment to provide additional funding, in order to proceed to Phase 2.

Phase 2 of the study will involve the following steps and targeted dates:

• Choosing and contracting consultant services, through a Request for Proposals process – completion by September 2009;
• Phase 2 of the Study – completion by July 2012; and
• Environmental approvals – completion by October 2013.

Phase 2 of the study will evaluate in more detail the environmental, social, economic, heritage and transportation effects of the corridors and propose mitigation measures to address these effects. The analysis, as per our partners’ request, will include impacts on communities, economic development and transit.

The NCC will continue to manage and administer the study in a collaborative effort between the three funding partners, the City of Ottawa and the Ville de Gatineau.

Once Phase 2 is initiated, we will invite all interested parties to actively participate in the consultation process. I encourage you to consult the NCC’s website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca for information regarding the Interprovincial Crossings Study.

Thank you for your interest in this important initiative.

Yours sincerely,

Marie Lemay, P.Eng., ing.
Chief Executive Officer

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