Mayor Mitch Panciuk, Belleville City Council and members of the project team were pleased to officially open the new J. Ben Corke Footbridge (previously referred to as the Catharine Street Pedestrian Bridge), which crosses the Moira River to connect the City’s west side to downtown Belleville. The original footbridge was dedicated to Belleville Mayor J. Ben Corke (Mayor 1975-1980) by Mayor George Zegouras and City Council in October 2003.

The preliminary design for the bridge was first brought forward in 2016 and a detailed design of the bridge was completed in 2018. However, as the environmental permitting process neared completion, it was determined that the project would require authorization from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada as construction would impact fish and fish habitat in the Moira River below.

Environmental Engineering Consulting was retained to conduct necessary environmental studies and develop a satisfactory compensation plan for the project, which allowed the City to obtain required authorization from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in January 2020. After delays caused by the provincial Declaration of Emergency and implications of COVID-19, construction began in July 2021.  The new, wider structure now replaces the previous bridge, and accommodates pedestrians, cyclists and light-service vehicles.

Funding for the J. Ben Corke footbridge project was provided in part through the Government of Canada’s Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF), formerly known as the federal Gas Tax Fund. The CCBF provides permanent, stable funding for municipal infrastructure across the country, supporting local projects that have a direct community benefit. The fund is delivered in Ontario annually through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

“Pedestrian bridges help beautify our cities, improve quality of life and make it easier for people to get around their community by foot or by bike. The inauguration of the new J. Ben Corke Footbridge spanning the Moira River writes a new chapter in the long history of the many pedestrians links that have united the west side of Belleville and its downtown for over a century,” said the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities .

“This project has been challenging as we worked our way through all of the regulatory approvals but standing here today, we can be proud that this amazing new bridge now crosses the river to once again connect our west-side residents with the downtown district,” said Mayor Mitch Panciuk. “Although the process of completing this bridge has been a long one, it has without a doubt, been worth the wait. We would like to thank the federal government for their support in helping to fund this important project.”