Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge rumored to open ahead of schedule

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the City of Ottawa, it’s that they’re better at building tunnels than they are at building bridges (one minor cave-in notwithstanding). But as the saying goes, better late than never. And the rumor mill has it that the bridge may open ahead of schedule in July (the original schedule had the bridge opening in September).

That’s great news for residents of both Ottawa South and Barrhaven. Kudos must be sent out to Steve Desroches who’s remained on top of this file despite numerous setbacks. This is the crown jewel of his many accomplishments, and we hope to see him on the ward ticket come next November.

The benefits of this new bridge are many:

• Barrhaven will now be a quick 10 minutes jaunt from Ottawa South – this should represent increased sales for local retailers and restaurants.
• Fans of the Rideau-Carleton Raceway will now enjoy a more direct route to their favorite Casino.
• Residents who work in the south-east portion of the city will now be able to circumvent downtown Ottawa during their daily commute.
• Bypassing Price-of-Whales drive should make getting to the Ottawa airport somewhat faster.
• The new bridge should take some pressure off of congested roads leading in and out of Barrhaven.

A few notes about the structure itself. First off, the bridge is design is stunning. I haven’t seen it lit up at night, but there is no doubt it will become both a local landmark and source of community pride. The bridge itself is much shorter than I expected it to be.  I never realized how close Ottawa South and Barrhaven actually are to each other. It will be interesting to see how the bridge affects the relationship between the two communities.

I look forward to the official opening, hopefully sooner rather than later.