page_title: Prince of Wales Bridge (Canada)
section_title: Future
hierarchical_section_title: Prince of Wales Bridge (Canada) / Future
caption_attribution_description: Prince of Wales Bridge, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. July, 2005. Personal photo by user:Radagast.
context_page_description: The Prince of Wales Bridge is a rail bridge across the Ottawa River joining Ottawa, Ontario to Gatineau, Quebec. It connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway line just west of Lebreton Flats, and crosses the south channel of the river to Lemieux Island; it then continues across the northern channel into Quebec.
  It is a multi-span Pratt truss bridge, consisting of six equal spans over the south channel, and seven spans over the north channel; the second-last span, proceeding northward, is longer by a factor of about 1.7.
context_section_description: The Prince of Wales Bridge is now at the centre of controversy regarding current access and use by pedestrians. The disused bridge has for years served as a quick link between Gatineau and Ottawa for pedestrians, sunset watchers and dog walkers. These users want the bridge to remain open for their enjoyment.
  On the other hand, city officials have been pointing out safety and other concerns related to the bridge for some time. Between January 1, 2005 and August 29, 2016 the Ottawa Police Service has received 51 calls about activities at the bridge, three of which resulted in charges being laid, though no complaints related to the structural safety of the bridge itself, rather to possible criminal activity occurring on the property.
  With City of Gatineau officials now showing great interest in the Prince of Wales bridge as a transit link between the two cities, modifications would need to be made, as there is only enough room for a single track on the bridge, and the City of Ottawa has now permanently built over this rail infrastructure to create the new Trillium Line station at Bayview. 
  In September 2016 the City of Ottawa spent $46,000 to install new chain-link fences to block entrance to the bridge, although the fence was breached shortly afterwards. In September 2016, a pop-up picnic led by residents was organized in opposition to the proposed barricades.  As of the end of the year 2016, the city has no plans to convert the bridge into a pedestrian or cycling path, which it says will cost $10.5 million. Rather, their stated goal is to use the bridge as an interprovincial rail link, connecting OC Transpo’s Trillium Line with Gatineau’s rapid transit network, although there has now been permanent and illegal building over of this rail infrastructure by the City of Ottawa.  It was also proposed that this rail link might become part of a proposed commuter rail system.
  In February 2018, the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled that the city breached its duty as a rail line owner when it dismantled a section of tracks near Prince of Wales Bridge in order to build a new entrance to Bayview Station of the new Light Rail System.  The CTA gave the City of Ottawa two options: to either try to sell a portion of the rail line leading to the Prince of Wales Bridge or to restore the tracks so they can accommodate rail traffic within 12 months.  In statements, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson asserted that "We don't have the funds to put rail across to Quebec at this point". While there had been funding put aside for the work several years earlier, it has since been re-directed to a pedestrian bridge over the Rideau Canal . 
  In April, 2019 (a Federal election year), the Federal Cabinet issued an Order In Council rescinding the Canadian Transportation Agency's decision, meaning that the City of Ottawa would no longer need to appeal the order to repair the rail link, also rejecting a petition from Moose Consortium Ltd., which wanted to use the bridge as part of a commuter rail project spanning the Ottawa River. The order in council dated April 5 stated that "the agency's decision went against national policy because it would force a railway company to invest in an "unused and non-profitable railway line," or discontinue it permanently", despite the Moose consortium indicating that it actively wanted to invest in this rail infrastructure.
  As of June 2019, the City of Gatineau's current design for its planned Société de transport de l'Outaouais LRT system, which would launch in 2028, would see it cross the Prince of Wales Bridge to link to Ottawa's O-Train system at Bayview Station.
caption: The Prince of Wales Bridge, south approach, July 2005
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