Is Ottawa Building its own Sagrada Familia?

The Sagrada Familia is nearly finished, only another 13 years to go apparently.
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If you have ever been to Barcelona, you likely went to see the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s church known for being under construction since 1882. It is a matter of taste, but I really like that eclectic look. Park Güell is another of his great designs.
Construction of the church only passed its midway point in 2010, 131 years later. That is quite a timeline, but if you are born after 1950 you might actually be able to see the finished product: the plan is to finish the church in 2026, the centennial of Gaudi’s death.
The Sagrada Familia is nearly finished, only another 13 years to go apparently.
The Sagrada Familia is nearly finished, only another 13 years to go apparently.
I can hear you thinking, where is he going with this story? I came home from the airport in Ottawa after a presentation on cycling in Fredericton and drove underneath Ottawa’s own Sagrada Familia, the still unfinished bike and pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway.
The bridge over the Airport Parkway in Ottawa is already a year late.
The bridge over the Airport Parkway in Ottawa is already a year late.
Councillor Diane Deans’ web site explains the delays. The bridge should have been finished last year May (2012) but due to poor concrete mixing (how hard can that be and if it is, I am not sure I would want to live in a 40 storey high rise on Carling) the opening was delayed to March 2013. The pics are from May 25, 2013. She adds that the city can’t give a date when the bridge will be finished. At least they can with the Sagrada Familia.
Paradoxically, the bridge makes it fairly dangerous for cyclists currently. Note the completely disappearing bike lane underneath.
Paradoxically, the bridge makes it fairly dangerous for cyclists currently. Note the completely blocked bike lane underneath.
I would guess it will take at least another three to four months. The bike lane on the Parkway meanwhile is closed off by concrete barriers, forcing cyclists to merge with faster traffic.

3 Comments

  1. Thank you for an excellent, though-provoking article on another city project taking too long and going astray

  2. Hopefully, while not quite the Sagrada familia, the bridge will have some eye-catching engineering and/ or architectural flourishes!

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