Expect lane closures on the Portage Bridge this summer while crews work to repair its pavement and install a two-way segregated bike lane.
The National Capital Commission's board of directors on Thursday approved the $9.2-million budget to improve the interprovincial bridge, located just west of Parliament Hill.
The road surface on the bridge, which spans the Ottawa River and connects Wellington Street in Ottawa to rue Laurier in Gatineau, is in "poor condition" with multiple cracks and ruts, according to an NCC report.
NEW: The <a href="https://twitter.com/NCC_CCN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCC_CCN</a> board will discuss, and likely approve, spending $9.162M to fix up the Portage Bridge and the related cycling lanes. 1st phase of work - repaving - to be done this summer. Unclear at this point if, or for how long, the bridge will be closed for repairs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ottnews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ottnews</a>
—@jchianelloThe NCC is hoping to have a construction contract awarded by the end of June, and finish most of the work by the end of August. Staff said the bridge won't ever be shut down completely, but will at times be reduced to one lane in each direction.
Cycling 'terrifying'
One NCC board member, Tanya Gracie of Ottawa, said she cycles across the Portage Bridge, an experience she described as "terrifying." She was pleased to hear the NCC is planning to install a physical barrier between the new, slightly wider cycling lanes and the road.
Gracie was concerned that the bridge would be closed to cyclists during the summer months, when the bike lanes are more heavily used by both residents and tourists.
But NCC staff said the plan is to direct all bicycle traffic to the eastern sidewalk, while pedestrians will be told to use the western sidewalk.
The NCC hasn't yet decided whether the bike lanes will be elevated to the level of the sidewalk — a few directors argued against it — but the board unanimously approved the separated lanes, which are expected to cost about $2.2 million, included in the project's overall cost.
The Portage Bridge, which opened in 1973, will be due for major reconstruction in another 10 to 25 years, the NCC said.