News Release
November 9, 2021
National Capital Region—The National Capital Commission (NCC) today launched the last phase of public consultation on the draft Long-Term Integrated Interprovincial Crossings Plan for the National Capital Region.
The public can provide feedback on the plan — which will inform the development of a more sustainable and integrated approach to interprovincial transportation in the National Capital Region over the next 30 years — by answering our online survey between November 9 and November 24, 2021.
In addition to identifying emerging trends in interprovincial transportation and articulating opportunities for long-term programmatic and infrastructure investments, the draft plan considers the impact of climate change, active transportation, demographic shifts, societal changes and new technology on the future of mobility.
Process and timelines
The 2019 federal budget mandated that the NCC develop a Long-Term Integrated Interprovincial Crossings Plan in collaboration with both provincial and municipal governments. With our work almost complete, we are preparing the fourth and final phase of planning.
- Phase 1: Background, context and existing conditions
- Phase 2: Visioning, guiding principles, evaluation criteria and strategic directions
- Phase 3: Development, analysis and evaluation of future scenarios
- Phase 4: Final draft plan reviewed and approved by the NCC Board in January 2022
Quick facts
- In fall 2020, over 1,700 people participated in the first phase of public consultations and stakeholder sessions. This input shaped the plan’s vision, goals and guiding principles. It also helped define a range of scenarios being evaluated in this phase of the process.
- The draft plan going to public consultation today includes the following findings:
- With 75 percent of local federal employees going to work in Ontario and another 25 percent in Quebec, the region’s commuter patterns will continue to be heavily influenced by the federal public service workforce. Likewise, heavy truck traffic will continue to be a major factor, and more needs to be done to mitigate the volume of truck traffic, as well as to mitigate its impact on the urban core of the region.
- The region’s growing population, and the ongoing presence of workplaces in the region’s downtown, will cause increased congestion and longer travel times. If the region is to meet its climate adaptation needs, alternative modes of transportation — including walking, cycling, other modes of active mobility and public transit — must be made available.
- While opportunities are limited in terms of enhancing the vehicular capacity of existing crossings in the central core of the region, analysis shows that the adoption of sustainable transportation initiatives on existing crossings represents a significant opportunity to enhance their people-moving capacity.
- Analysis of the planned transit initiatives, such as the eventual West Gatineau tramway and downtown transit loop, demonstrates that such projects can contribute significantly to meeting the needs of interprovincial travellers by increasing people-moving capacity.
- Once finalized, the plan will inform the strategy to be adopted in implementing the NCC and Public Services and Procurement Canada initiatives now under way to ensure the renewal and enhancement of interprovincial crossings in the National Capital Region.