Chief William Commanda Bridge popular with active transportation users

People enjoy the recently finished Chief William Commanda Bridge multi-use pathway over the Ottawa River in Ottawa on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. The newly finished recreational corridor links Ottawa and Gatineau, Quebec. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Thousands of people walked, jogged and cycled across the William Commanda Bridge during its opening weekend.

The new multi-use pathway connecting Ottawa and Gatineau over the Ottawa River opened to the public on Friday, Aug. 4.

New statistics from the city of Ottawa show almost 30,000 crossings on the Chief William Commanda Bridge in its first week.

"During the first weekend the bridge was open for use, the City recorded approximately 7,500 people crossing per day," the city said.

"While most people crossed as cyclists, thousands of pedestrians also walked across, along with people using mobility devices, electric scooters, and skateboards."

The city notes the automatic counter is located towards the north side of Lemieux Island, and only counts people who are crossing the north span of the William Commanda Bridge. People who crossed the southern span between Ottawa and Lemieux Island and turned around are not included in the stats, according to the city.

The bridge just west of downtown Ottawa, built in 1880 as a railway link, hasn’t been in service since 2001. The city bought it from Canadian Pacific Railway in 2005.

The $22.6 million project included construction of a new timber deck on top of the existing rail track ties, installation of steel cable railing system, new lighting through the pathway corridor and new park benches. The federal government committed $8.6 million to the project.

Council voted in 2021 to rename the Prince of Wales Bridge the Chief William Commanda Bridge, after the Algonquin elder and spiritual leader. Commanda was chief of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation from 1951 to 1970 and was a strong supporter of environmental stewardship. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2008.