Update – August 2019

Enjoying City Bridges

Ottawa can sure hold its own when it comes to beautiful cities. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the bridges you will encounter when visiting. The first photo, Urban Bridges is Minto bridge (2 of 3), only minutes from the Prime Minister’s residence on Sussex Drive. A walk on it during autumn is a must.

Below, we see the Minto (bridge 1) during the winter season.

Crossing the river to Gatineau resides a quaint stone arch bridge straight out of olden days. The images here are available as stock photography for your document design projects. You can see the portfolio on mostphotos.com.

While in Gatineau, you’re also presented with the “Lady Aberdeen bridge”. Built in 1894, it takes you through to the downtown area. It was named in honour of Lady Aberdeen, the wife of then, Governor General of Canada, John Hamilton-Gordon. I am from this very area and, as children, we knew it as the green bridge; in both languages (Pont vert). Life is funny that way. This photo was taken from the belvedere in Rockliffe Park, Ottawa.

Bridged Parliament certainly speaks volumes featuring the Royal Alexandra Interprovincial bridge in the foreground. This specific angle is not seen anywhere else and is an example of Mr. Loiselle’s dedication to originality in his photography. You can see the Canadian Parliament collection of over 250 original photographs. Below, two other views from different perspectives.

In the heart of the city is the famous Rideau Canal — the longest skating rink in the world. One bridge in the downtown core is the beautiful Laurier Street bridge. Featuring an iron construction archway spanning the Rideau Canal and overlooking the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel and the Convention Centre at dusk.

Staying downtown, spanning the “Rideau Canal”, the Plaza bridge joins Wellington and Elgin Streets. It is neighbour to the “Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel”, the “Government Conference Centre” and “Parliament Hill”. Sitting atop the Plaza is the “Canadian National War Memorial”. It is walking distance to the famous Ottawa “Sparks Street Mall”.

Taking a walk on the pathways of the Kingsmere Estate, you will come across many log bridges like this classic during the gold and orange glow of autumn.

Moving east down Rideau Street, we encounter Cummings bridge to the suburb of Vanier. It contains beautiful arches and is reminiscent of certain bridges in Central Park.

Turning to the Rideau Canal once again, we meet up with the Patterson Creek bridge shown here during summer. Canoeists use it all the time… it’s such a peaceful place.

Making available various seasons of the same subject is a good idea as it can help your document layout be more season-specific when needed. The creek spills into the Rideau Canal making it one of the prettiest bridges on the canal. Skaters just slip underneath and enjoy the winter.

The Pretoria Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge in Ottawa, crossing the beautiful Rideau Canal. It was built in 1915, and is a vertical-lift bridge, meaning that the central portion of the bridge can be elevated to allow boats to pass underneath.

The Bank Street bridge, seen here at dusk spanning the Rideau Canal, where live bands perform outdoor concerts. Strollers stand on the bridge and listen to live music while watching the canoes go by.

Take a walk south  and you’ll come upon this beautiful structure on O’Connor Street, featuring a gorgeous Weeping Willow. It’s surrounded by parks, water and in the middle of the Glebe, one of Ottawa’s oldest and prestigious neighbourhoods.

The O’Connor Street bridge does what it does best: welcome canoeists under it, making it a joy to paddle and appreciate the Rideau canal. Ask any canoe enthusiast the feeling of going under bridges, and you’ll hear many different tales of fun!

Who doen’t like a red covered bridge? It’s always fun driving through a taste of history. This one, just west of Ottawa, is definitely a classic.

When in Quebec, near Wakefield, stands this specimen including an inside view. Walking it is as much fun as driving through it. You can peer out the “windows” to see young ones swimming while older boys and girls are jumping off the top. Who hasn’t done it?

Heading west Ottawa, to the Carleton University train station, we see the O-Train delivering students. A steel bridge strictly for rails that spans the Ottawa river. BTW! I must say, this train is certainly well designed. Bravo OC Transpo!

Another bridge I’ve had the pleasure of photographing, is the “Lagoon” structure in Boston Common Park, Downtown.

Bridges take us places. An adventure may lie just ahead, cross it, you never know! While vacationing in Cuba, this bridge was begging to be photographed. I’m glad I did, now it’s part of the collection.

I couldn’t resist including the gorgeous Zakim suspension bridge in Boston. Went there for the HOW design confence and took this shot. One thing that surprised me was how much the bridge shook with traffic, making it harder to stay focused.

As the search continues for memorable bridges, I visited the 5 Arch Stone Bridge in Pakenham, Ontario, an hour west of Ottawa. Built in 1901, it spans the Mississippi River and cost $14,500 to build. The arches are 40 feet wide and 8 feet thick. Pakenham is a quaint village, reminiscent of old days gone by. Perfect for a day trip for the whole family.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a tour of some of our bridges and please have a look at the photo collections. Images start $12 and are available for immediate download.

Thank you for reading. Have a great day!

Michel

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OTHER POSTS BY MICHEL LOISELLE

Knowing our Parliamentary Precinct — Tulips on Parliament Hill – The West Block of Canada – 7 Year Parliament Project – Politically Speaking – Canada in One Photo – Design and Imaging — Haunted Castle — Night Shots — Hey That’s My Image — My Canadian Pride Is Showing — Canada Day on Parliament Hill — Images in Color and in Stereo – 5 Reasons to Use Photos — Gargoyles on Parliament Hill – Christmas on Parliament Hill – Live Music is Always Best – The Confederation Building – The Supreme Court of Canada