Vimy Memorial Bridge

Vimy Memorial Bridge
Vimy Memorial Bridge
Coordinates	45°16′12″N75°42′09″W / 45.26991°N 75.70245°W
Carries	vehicles (2x3 lanes); buses (2x1 lane); bicycles (2x1 lane)
Crosses	Rideau River, Rideau Canal
Locale	southern Ottawa
Other name(s)	Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge
Website	ottawa.ca/en/city_hall/planningprojectsreports/construction/projects/strandherd_bridge/index.html
Preceded by	Manotick
Followed by	Hunt Club Road
Characteristics
Design	triangular-truss arches, with two suspended decks
Material	Steel
Total length	143 metres (469 ft)
History
Construction cost	$50 million CAD
Opened	12 July 2014
Statistics
Toll	free
Location

Last updated January 20, 2025

The Vimy Memorial Bridge (previously the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge^[1]) is a bridge in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 2014, it crosses the Rideau River, connecting Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven and Earl Armstrong Road in Riverside South. The bridge was the 2015 winner of the Gustav Lindenthal Medal.^[2] It is named after the Battle of Vimy Ridge, as suggested by two Royal Canadian Legions in Ottawa.^[1]

History

The idea for a bridge in this location was first brought up in 1993 as a road bridge. The location was later revisited as the location for a light rail crossing for the O-Train, but that extension plan was cancelled. In 2010, the city, provincial, and national governments invested equal amounts totalling $48 million in building the bridge.^[3] The original contractor hired, ConCreate USL, went into receivership when the project was about 60% complete and the bonding company, GCNA hired a new contractor, formed by former employees of ConCreate, now known as Horseshoe Hill Construction, to complete its bonded work.^[4] The project was initially expected to be completed in 2012.^[5] However, due to the contractor going bankrupt and the city's bonding company refusing to accelerate work, the completion date was delayed. The bridge was then due to be open in September 2014^[6] but opened earlier than expected, on 12 July 2014.^[7]

Features

The bridge has three vehicle lanes, a dedicated bus lane, and a bike lane in each direction. Pedestrian walkways are located on the outside of the bridge on both the north and south side.

Public transit

The bridge's exclusive bus lanes are a part of the Ottawa bus rapid transit system known as the Transitway and are utilized by OC Transpo routes 74 and 99. OC Transpo Route 74 is a high frequency rapid transit route that runs from line 1 at Tunney's Pasture to line 2 Limebank station via Baseline station at Algonquin College and Barrhaven. The route is shared with OC Transpo Route 75 from Tunney's Pasture to Fallowfield Station. From there route 75 continues on the Transitway to Barrhaven Centre station or Cambrian (at Greenbank). Route 74 leaves the Transitway temporarily to drive south on Woodroffe Ave until it reaches Nepean Woods station, from which it crosses the Vimy Memorial Bridge on the way to Riverview station. OC Transpo Route 99 operates in both directions from Hurdman station to Barrhaven Centre station via the southeastern Transitway, serves Riverside South via Spratt Road and connects to the O-Train Line 2 at Greenboro station, which serves as its northeastern terminus in off-peak hours. During peak hours the route 99 continues onto Hurdman station through Billings Bridge station. The new bridge's exclusive bus lanes have improved transit service in Barrhaven and Riverside South.

Related Research Articles

Riverside Drive is a major road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that follows along the eastern bank of the Rideau River. Its northern terminus is at the Transitway/Via Rail underpass just south of the Queensway, and the road proceeds south to Limebank Road where it continues as River Road until the city limits. North of the Queensway, Riverside continues as Vanier Parkway, which travels through Vanier until Beechwood Avenue. The Vanier Parkway name is linked to the neighbourhood of Vanier, which was named for former Governor General of Canada Georges Vanier.

OC Transpo is the primary public transport agency for the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. operating bus rapid transit, light rail, conventional bus routes, and door-to-door paratransit in the nation's capital region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside station (Ottawa)</span>

Riverside station is an OC Transpo bus station on Ottawa's Transitway that is connected to the Riverside Campus of The Ottawa Hospital near the intersection of Smyth Road and Riverside Drive. Stairs and elevators from the platform level lead directly to the interior of the hospital, making bus travel easy for medical appointments even in bad weather.

Lycée Claudel station is a bus rapid transit station on Ottawa's Transitway served by OC Transpo buses. It is located on Ottawa's Southeast Transitway, and is one stop south of the main hub of Hurdman. The station is named for the adjacent French private school Lycée Claudel d'Ottawa.

The Transitway is a bus rapid transit (BRT) network operated by OC Transpo in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It comprises a series of bus-only roadways and reserved lanes on city streets and highways. The dedicated busways ensure that buses and emergency vehicles on the Transitway rarely intersect directly with regular traffic, making it possible to run quickly and consistently, even during rush hour traffic. OC Transpo operates a network of rapid routes which use the Transitway to connect communities with the O-Train light rail system. Additional bus routes also use segments of the Transitway.

Barrhaven is a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located about 17 km (11 mi) southwest of the city's downtown core. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 103,234.

Hurdman is a major station on Ottawa's O-Train Confederation Line, and bus rapid transit (BRT) system, transitway.

Baseline (Transitway) or Algonquin (O-Train) is a public transit station directly across from the main campus of Algonquin College in Ottawa's west end, near the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Baseline Road. Many Algonquin College students and Centrepointe residents use this station to get to various points in the city, and to and from the college. Several residential and business areas such as Centrepointe and College Square are also served by this station.

The Kichi Zībī Mīkan, formerly the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, and previously the Ottawa River Parkway, is a four-lane scenic parkway along the Ottawa River in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Carling Avenue near Connaught Avenue, to Booth Street at the Canadian War Museum and National Holocaust Monument. It is maintained by the National Capital Commission. The speed limit is 60 km/h (37 mph). Bicycles are allowed on the road and on a parallel recreational path along the parkway.

Westboro currently serves as a bus station in Ottawa, Ontario. It is located in the Westboro neighbourhood, on Scott Street between Athlone and Tweedsmuir avenues.

Tunney's Pasture is the western O-Train light rail terminal train station and a major bus transitway station in Ottawa, Ontario.

Strandherd Station is a transit station in Ottawa, Ontario. It opened on January 2, 2007 and contains a park and ride facility with over 300 parking spaces available. It is located northeast of the intersection of Strandherd Drive and the access to the Riocan Marketplace shopping area, where Barrhaven Centre Station and Marketplace Station opened in mid-2012. This is part of OC Transpo's plans to extend its southwest transitway to its suburb areas.

Marketplace is a Southwest Transitway station in the Barrhaven neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The station is located at the Chapman Mills Marketplace shopping centre, an extensive commercial zone which contains big-box stores and department stores.

Fallowfield station or Fallowfield Train Station is an inter-city passenger railway station and bus rapid transit station located at 3347 Fallowfield Road in the suburban neighbourhood of Barrhaven in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Riverview is an OC Transpo transit station located in the Riverside South community in Ottawa, Ontario. The station is located south of Earl Armstrong Road east of River Road.

Nepean Woods station is located in the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada suburb of Barrhaven, and is on the Southwest Transitway which is served by OC Transpo buses. Located near the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Strandherd Drive in southern Nepean, it was the westerly terminus of most trips of rapid-transit route 74, formerly numbered route 94. It is also the site of a park and ride lot for residents of Barrhaven, which opened on 24 February 2014.

Beatrice station is a south-west Transitway station located in the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, suburb of Barrhaven.

The O-Train is a light rail system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The system consists of three lines: the electrically-operated Confederation Line, running east to west; and the diesel-operated Trillium Line, running north to south, as well as the Airport Link. Line 1 is currently being extended as part of the Stage 2 project, with new segments being phased in between 2025 and 2027.

Cambrian station is a bus stop on Ottawa, Ontario's transitway served by OC Transpo buses. It is located on the auxiliary road servicing the Minto Recreation Complex in Barrhaven, Ontario. It is the southernmost point of the main transitway system. Service is provided by route 75 to Tunney's Pasture station every 15 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on evenings and weekends.

Limebank is the terminal station on the Trillium Line in Ottawa, Ontario. The station is elevated with two side platforms and is located southwest of the intersection of Limebank and Earl Armstrong roads. OC Transpo Rapid bus routes 74 and 99 connect to this station with revenue service which began January 6, 2025.

References

1 2 "Vimy Memorial Bridge name approved at Ottawa committee". CBC News. 1 Oct 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
↑ "Vimy Memorial Bridge earns International Award of Distinction". City of Ottawa. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
↑ Rwema, Eddie. "Strandherd-Armstrong bridge on track: Coun. Desroches". Ottawa South EMC. Metroland Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
↑ "Strandherd-Armstrong bridge work to resume". CBC News. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
↑ "Strandherd bridge moved into place this weekend". Ottawa Sun , July 13, 2013.
↑ Hempstead, Doug. "July opening for Strandherd-Armstrong bridge ... maybe". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
↑ "Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge opens, significantly improving connectivity for Riverside South and Barrhaven residents". City of Ottawa. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.

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[VimyRidge-1] 1 2 "Vimy Memorial Bridge name approved at Ottawa committee". CBC News. 1 Oct 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.

[City-2] "Vimy Memorial Bridge earns International Award of Distinction". City of Ottawa. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.

[EMC-3] Rwema, Eddie. "Strandherd-Armstrong bridge on track: Coun. Desroches". Ottawa South EMC. Metroland Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 1 November 2012.

[4] "Strandherd-Armstrong bridge work to resume". CBC News. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.

[:0-5] "Strandherd bridge moved into place this weekend". Ottawa Sun , July 13, 2013.

[6] Hempstead, Doug. "July opening for Strandherd-Armstrong bridge ... maybe". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

[Newsroom-7] "Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge opens, significantly improving connectivity for Riverside South and Barrhaven residents". City of Ottawa. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.

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