Question Period Note: Eastern Bridge in the National Capital Area

A new interprovincial bridge in the eastern sector of the National Capital Region is being built to address population growth and transportation needs, reduce congestion, and foster economic and development opportunities.

• Public Services and Procurement Canada is actively taking steps to improve and expand infrastructure capacity in the National Capital Region
  • The Eastern Bridge that is being built, will strengthen interprovincial connectivity, connect communities of common culture and language in Ontario and Quebec, and drive regional economic growth
  • Public Services and Procurement Canada is now proceeding with pre-planning activities, including public and Indigenous consultations, advancing the impact assessment, and developing preliminary designs which will define the expected configuration and alignment

The National Capital Region (NCR) of Canada has a well-recognized need for additional interprovincial connections to accommodate growing population and transportation demands. The existing five federal vehicular interprovincial crossings, which include the Alexandra Bridge, Chaudière Crossing, Macdonald-Cartier Bridge, Champlain Bridge, and Portage Bridge, were built in an era when the region had significantly fewer residents and commuters.

These bridges, now aging and operating at full capacity, facilitate close to 180,000 vehicles daily, with an additional 10,000 using active transportation such as cycling and walking. The existing NCR infrastructure struggles to cope with increasing traffic, especially during peak travel times, and heavy truck traffic continues to be a major issue in downtown Ottawa. When an existing bridge is closed, it further intensifies the pressure on the remaining crossings, as evidenced during the recent closure for repairs of the Alexandra Bridge.

As custodian of three bridges within the NCR (namely, the Alexandra, Chaudière and Macdonald-Cartier bridges), PSPC has a portfolio-level responsibility to maintain a high level of service availability for the users of its interprovincial infrastructure. Capacity constraints of existing infrastructure, projected regional population growth, increased opportunities for regional and community integration, diversion of heavy truck traffic, and developing new economic corridors represent key drivers in advancing the design and construction for a new Eastern Bridge in the NCR.

Cost estimates for the overall project remain in development and will be better defined as we onboard technical advisory services and advance the design phase. A contract was awarded for a Technical Advisor on March 13, 2025, and design work and studies in support of the impact assessment are being advanced.

• A new Eastern Bridge is considered essential to accommodate the growing population of the National Capital Region, which has doubled since the last bridge was built in 1973, and to alleviate the congestion on existing interprovincial links, which are at full capacity during peak travel times
  • The 2024 Fall Economic Statement announced the Government's commitment to building a multimodal bridge over the Ottawa River to improve transportation connectivity in the National Capital Region with an anticipated in-service date of 2034
  • On January 30, 2025, it was announced that an integrated project team, consisting of Public Services and Procurement Canada, the National Capital Commission and a technical advisor, would proceed with pre-planning work