NCC recommends Wellington Street tramway option
Interprovincial system to extend across the Portage Bridge and into downtown
The National Capital Commission has told the federal government that an interprovincial tramway should run on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, rather than inside a pricey tunnel constructed under Sparks Street.
The NCC board endorsed the option earlier this year, but the federal agency on Friday confirmed it has become their formal recommendation to the feds as the City of Gatineau and the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) plan a tram system between west Gatineau and downtown Ottawa.
The federal Liberal government, reportedly days away from triggering a federal election, likes the Wellington Street option, too.
In the NCC's news release, Infrastructure Minister and Ottawa Centre MP Catherine McKenna said the feds are “pleased with the National Capital Commission's recommendation for a surface tramway design.”
The project requires funding from the feds and the Quebec government.
Gatineau's planned tram system extends from the westernmost community, through Hull, across the Portage Bridge and into downtown Ottawa.
The Ottawa portion has been under study with two options.
The full project with the tramway on the surface of Wellington Street is estimated at just over $3 billion.
The Sparks Street tunnel option would between $3.5 billion and $3.9 billion.
STO's consultant on the tram study declared the Sparks Street tunnel option as “the most effective solution” to run the rail vehicles into downtown Ottawa.
The City of Ottawa isn't paying for Gatineau's tram project but its transportation network would be significantly impacted by a tramway running down Wellington Street, which is a federally significant corridor but ultimately a municipal road.
Ottawa council declared the Sparks Street tunnel option as “optimal” for Gatineau's tramway but didn't reject the Wellington Street surface option.
Still, the City of Ottawa has noted the challenge of building tram tracks along Wellington Street because the narrow corridor also requires bike lanes and enough sidewalk space to handle large volumes of pedestrians, not to mention vehicular lanes.
The tram study has floated the idea of closing Wellington Street to traffic between Bank and Elgin streets.
The NCC is also looking at using Gatineau's tramway to create a transit “loop” between the downtowns of Ottawa and Gatineau, connecting federal institutions and tourist attractions.