Macdonald-Cartier Bridge

Infobox Bridge
bridge_name = Macdonald-Cartier Bridge

|thumb|230px
caption = The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge with the Lester B. Pearson Building in the background
official_name = Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
carries =
crosses = Ottawa River
locale =
maint =
id =
design =
mainspan =
length =
width =
height =
load =
clearance =
below =
traffic =
begin =
complete =
open =
closed =
toll =
map_cue =
map_

map_text =
map_width =
coordinates = coord|45|26|12|N|75|42|9|W
lat =
long =

The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge is a bridge connecting Ottawa, Ontario, to Gatineau, Quebec. The bridge is 618 m (3/8 mile) long continuous steel box girder bridge and carries six lanes of traffic. It links King Edward Avenue and Sussex Drive in Ottawa with Autoroute 5 in Quebec. It is the eastern most bridge linking Ottawa to Gatineau, Quebec, running just to the east of the Alexandra Bridge.

The bridge was built from 1963 to 1965 by the federal government and the governments of the two provinces. It is owned and maintained by Public Works and Government Services Canada. It was named after John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier, joint premiers of the Province of Canada, and the name is representative of the link between French and English Canada.

There are sidewalks on both sides of the bridge intended for use by pedestrians and cyclists. Immediately after the bridge on the Gatineau side, the road becomes part of the Autoroute where cyclists and pedestrians are prohibited. However, they can then use paths leading to Laurier Street.

The Ottawa side was to connect with Vanier Parkway, and some piers where it would cross the Rideau River remain [Google Maps [http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=ottawa,+on&ie=UTF8&ll=45.437754,-75.690919&spn=0.005262,0.011287&t=k&z=17&om=0 satellite imagery] , accessed September 2007] from the Canadian Pacific Railway's Sussex Street Subdivision,Fact|date=September 2007 but this was cancelled because the route would have taken much of New Edinburgh Park.Fact|date=September 2007 Instead, King Edward Avenue was widened up to the one-way pair of St. Patrick Street and Murray Street to the St. Patrick Street Bridge over the Rideau River, which connects with the north end of Vanier Parkway. This provides a four-lane connection between the bridge and Highway 417. [City of Ottawa - [http://www.ottawa.ca/city_services/major_projects/king_edward/index_en.html King Edward Avenue Renewal Construction Phasing] , accessed September 2007] ]

See also

* List of bridges in Ottawa
*List of crossings of the Ottawa River

References

External links

* [http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/surface/bridges/macdonaldcartier.htm Transport Canada profile of the bridge]

Crossings navbox
structure = Bridges
place = Ottawa River
bridge = Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
bridge signs =
upstream = Alexandra Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream = Long-Sault Bridge
downstream signs =