While the objective of improving transportation options between Ottawa and Gatineau makes good sense, the proposed location of the new bridge is objectionable. The bridge should be located further east, where the disruption to citizens will be less and where easy connections between Route 50 and Ottawa highways can still be made. 

The bike and walking trails along the Ottawa river just east of downtown are worth protecting. The lengthy construction period would undoubtedly impact residents' ability to enjoy these trails for years. Additionally, a new bridge, ostensibly constructed to divert truck and other traffic from the downtown core, would re-route noise and pollution into what is currently a beautiful greenspace. This would be a hugely negative environmental change in the long term.

Next, the neighbourhood adjacent to the proposed bridge (Manor Park) is an old Ottawa gem with quiet streets, charm, and character. It would be an absolute shame to disrupt it's peaceful streets and introduce a major source of through-traffic just a few hundred meters away. Ottawa, the NCR, the province, and the federal government should be working to preserve vibrant communities and neighbourhoods rather than introducing infrastructure projects that would alter them negatively. 

A new bridge should be located somewhere with a smaller impact on residents (i.e. further east, away from population centres that would be impacted). There are already multiple bridges just a few kilometers west of the proposed Eastern Bridge. Since the stated objective of the Eastern Bridge project is to connect highways in Quebec and Ontario, diverting truck traffic from downtown, it makes good sense that this traffic be diverted well before it reaches the city centre. Sending all this noise and pollution into one of the city's nicest areas, just a few kilometers east of current bridges, is unacceptable.