This week I joined City of Ottawa
officials to discuss progress on the Strandherd-Armstrong
Bridge construction. The
federal government is funding one third of the cost of the bridge and as your
federal representative, I am pleased to share with you some of the developments
on the project.
First, you will be happy to learn that the project
is on time and on budget. That means it will be done by 2012 and should cost
slightly less than the original projection of $48 million. To date about $6
million in funds have been expended and the project is about 12% complete by
the measure of dollars spent. About 60% of the site preparation is done, 100%
of the footing for deep foundations on the east side is complete, the bridge
launching system is 55% done and the fabrication of the structural steel is 25%
finished. The on-site bridge construction is expected to begin in April of 2011
and the bridge platform should be launched into place by October 2011.
Government approvals for the construction have also
moved rapidly. The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, National Capital
Commission, and the Algonquin of Ontario have all given full approvals for the
construction. Parks and Transport Canada are reviewing proposed
temporary in-river installations as we speak and I am working with those
departments to ensure that approvals proceed promptly.
Second, the size and scope of the bridge is
impressive. It will contain four lanes for cars and trucks, two for buses, two
for bikes, two for turning and two sidewalks. It will be 143 meters long and 50
meters wide. The top of the main arch, which will support the structure with
cables from above, will be about 31 meters high—that is about 10 storeys!
Third, without the construction of additional lanes
on Earl Armstrong Road
there would be a bottleneck of cars entering and leaving the bridge. Under Canada’s
Economic Action Plan, I was pleased to secure federal funds to cover a third of
the cost of adding new lanes. There had been some difficulty in completing this
project by the Action Plan’s March deadline, putting some of the funding in
peril, however, Prime Minister Harper has now announced an extension until
October allowing for an additional construction season to complete it.
I will continue to work with the city and the
province, in order to see this project through to fruition. It is my top
priority and the community’s most important project.
As always, if you have a questions or suggestions,
contact me through my website resultsforyou.ca or by
phone 613 990-4300.