Public Notice

Macdonald Cartier Bridge Wearing Surface and Girder Coating Renewal  – Public Comments Invited

December 10, 2025 – The authorities must determine whether the proposed Macdonald Cartier Bridge Surface and Girder Coating Renewal, located in Ottawa, ON is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this determination, the authorities are inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online.

Written comments must be submitted by January 10, 2026 to:

Environment, Health and Safety
Public Services and Procurement Canada
11 Laurier Street
Portage III, Place du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0S5

Email: TPSGC.RCNLVEEListedeControle-NCRECMPChecklist.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

The Proposed Project

The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge spans between Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec over the Ottawa River. It is one of five interprovincial crossings and one of two truck crossings between the cities. The crossing links King Edward Avenue in Ottawa, Ontario with Autoroute 5 in Gatineau, Quebec. The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge Wearing Surface and Girder Coating Renewal project will consist of the following construction activities:

Work on surface of the bridge deck:

• Wearing Surface Renewal: Mill off the top surface of asphalt and replace with a new asphalt layer.
• Expansion Joint Renewal: Replacement of buried expansion joints in the deck.

Work under the bridge deck:

• Installation of suspended scaffolding and platforms underneath the bridge deck to perform encapsulation work.
• Existing coatings will be cleaned, and surfaces will be prepared to receive new encapsulation. Areas with localized deterioration will have the existing coating removed, and those surfaces will be prepared for application of the new coating system. Encapsulation is the process of applying a protective coating over an existing surface to seal it, prevent deterioration, and isolate it from environmental exposure or contaminants.
• Steel repairs including treatment of rust jacking, repairs to minor steel components, and replacement of deteriorated catwalk sections.

Work below the bridge:

• Rehabilitation of concrete piers above and below the waterline.
• Abutment Masonry repairs
• Southwest Bridge Slope Protection Improvement – area located next to the abutment. Construct a new retaining wall on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River, within the 100-year floodplain.
• All laydown and staging areas will be reinstated after construction is completed.

Federal Approvals

As the project proponent, infrastructure owner, provider of federal funds and authorizations to enable the undertaking to proceed, Public Services and Procurement Canada is the lead authority responsible for coordinating the joint section 82 determination required under the Impact Assessment Act.

Although a permit is not required from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), a Letter of Advice was received from DFO following a Request for Review of the project, and all measures will be implemented for the work.

The National Capital Commission (NCC) is currently conducting a project review under the federal land use, design and transaction approval (FLUDTA) process.

Transport Canada (TC) is reviewing the project to confirm compliance with the Canadian Navigable Waters Act (CNWA).