Studies and public consultation reports

Together with its partners (ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD), National Capital Commission (NCC), City of Ottawa and Ville de Gatineau), the STO mandated the Roche Genivar consortium to prepare an opportunity study in order to review the prospect of a new reliable, efficient and appealing public transit system in Gatineau’s west end. Three scenarios and their variants were reviewed at the time:

1. Enhancing the existing bus system.
2. Installing a dedicated axis along chemin d’Aylmer / boulevard Alexandre-Taché with variants, including using chemin Lucerne behind Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) or the Champlain Bridge to downtown Ottawa.
3. Installing a dedicated axis along boulevard des Allumetières with a variant involving the use of chemin McConnell and boulevard du Plateau.

The review of current and future needs made it clear that it would be necessary to invest in a dedicated, reliable and efficient public transit system in Gatineau’s west end. Moreover, because the west end’s configuration is not conducive to meeting the need through a single dedicated axis, a combination of dedicated measures along the Allumettières and Aylmer/Taché axes would be required.

The metropolitan context and the importance of transportation (home-work) require that any future public transit system be integrated with Ottawa’s. Given the need to integrate the systems and the longer term vision for the development of the greater Gatineau-Ottawa metropolitan area, the option that warrants more extensive study is the tram.

Opportunity study reports

Forum – September 2016

Transport et territoires : un mariage de raison?  (in French only)
Paul Lewis, Doyen et professeur – Faculté d’aménagement – Université de Montréal 

Vision du développement de la Ville de Gatineau  (in French only)
Catherine Marchand, Directrice de l’urbanisme et du développement économique – Ville de Gatineau 
 
Coordonner transport et urbanisme dans la région d’Ottawa-Gatineau : contexte et enjeux de gouvernance et de planification métropolitaine  (in French only)
Mario Gauthier, Professeur au Département des sciences sociales – Université du Québec en Outaouais 

Avancement de l’étude de l’ouest  (in French only)
Sandrine Poteau, Chargée de projet aux stratégies et développement – Société de transport de l’Outaouais 

Autobus et tramway : mythes et réalités  (in French only)
Vincent Ermatinger, Vice-président adjoint / Transport, Québec – WSP 

Public consultations – November 2016

Rapport de consultation – Étude pour un système de transport collectif performant dans l’ouest de Gatineau  (in French only)

Survey – December 2016

Rapport de la firme Léger  (in French only)

Summary

Study of Needs and Solutions for a Structuring Public Transit System in Gatineau’s West End – Conclusions of Study

Full reports

Étude des besoins partie 1  (in French only)
Étude des besoins partie 2  (in French only)
Étude des solutions partie 1  (in French only)
Étude des solutions partie 2  (in French only)

The purpose of the complementary study was, among other things, to identify the optimal solution (mode and circuit) for meeting the transportation needs of residents in Gatineau’s west end for the next 30 to 50 years in a context of population growth, road congestion and the importance of interprovincial exchanges. The solution needed to reflect current political commitments to the electrification of transportation, sustainable mobility and integrated planning of transportation and land use development, from a local and metropolitan point of view. 

Complementary study reports

Consultations and workshops / advisory committees – November and December 2018

Rapport synthèse des consultations (in French only)

Workshop / advisory committees – March 2019

Compte-rendu des ateliers de travail (in French only)

Public consultations on the five scenarios selected – June 2019

Rapport complet (in French only)

Public consultations on the insertion options for downtown Ottawa – June and July 2020

Full report

Announcement of the optimal solution for the dedicated public transit system – May 12, 2021

The recommended mode and circuit based on this study were released in May 2021. The comparative analysis of the different scenarios under study finds that the optimal dedicated public transit technical solution for linking Gatineau’s west end to the Gatineau and Ottawa downtowns is the all-tram scenario, with insertion in downtown Ottawa through a tunnel under Sparks Street or at grade on Wellington Street.

Technical Briefing presentation

Final report – Conclusions and recommandations

The final report, tabled in 2021, is a summary of the key stages of the complementary study, and describes how the solution identified as optimal meets the study’s main objectives. The proposed recommendations will help orient and expand on the next steps in the analysis, development, detailed engineering and implementation of this project, all of which are expected to extend over a ten-year period.

As with all major long-term projects, the dedicated public transit project will continue to evolve and adjust as it develops. As a result, some of the information in this report is out of date, and will be reassessed in the upcoming pre-project phases:

• the project timeline;
• the integration of the dedicated public transit system in downtown Gatineau (rue Laurier) and Ottawa, and on the Portage Bridge;
• project cost estimates (design, construction, testing and start up). Given that these were indexed using an annual inflation rate of 2%, they will have to be revised because the inflation rates for 2021 and 2022 for the construction sector ended up being higher. In addition, the costs have to be revised upwards to take into account the fact that the initially anticipated timeline had to be extended.

Certain elements had to be redacted because of their sensitivity, such as information that could compromise future calls for tenders or lead to land speculation.

The complementary study is the outcome of collaboration among the STO and the different project partners: Quebec’s ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD), the National Capital Commission (NCC), Ville de Gatineau and the City of Ottawa.

Final report of the complementary study