for $11 million as part of a plan to link Ottawa and Gatineau's light rail systems. However, Mayor Jim Watson would later declare that this original plan was unworkable. The bridge has remained unused and the section of track between the Bayview Station and the bridge is overgrown. As the purchase of the bridge included the approaches on both sides, the City of Ottawa now owns property in Quebec. Future The bridge is now at the centre of controversy regarding current access and use by pedestrians. The disused bridge is often used illegally by pedestrians, sunset watchers and dog walkers, who have advocated it remain open for such active use. On the other hand, city officials have been pointing out safety and other concerns related to the bridge for some time. Between January 1, 2005 and August 29, 2016 the Ottawa Police Service has received 51 calls about activities at the bridge, three of which resulted in charges being laid, though no complaints related to the structural safety of the bridge itself, rather to possible criminal activity occurring on the property. With City of Gatineau officials now showing great interest in the bridge as a transit link between the two cities, modifications would need to be made, as there is only enough room for a single track on the bridge; the City of Ottawa has now permanently built over this rail infrastructure to create the new Trillium Line station at Bayview. In September 2016 the City of Ottawa spent $46,000 to install new chain-link fences to block entrance to the bridge, although the fence was breached shortly afterwards. In September 2016, a pop-up picnic led by residents was organized in opposition to the proposed barricades. As of the end of the year 2016, the city has no plans to convert the bridge into a pedestrian or cycling path, which it says will cost $10.5 million. Rather, their stated goal is to use the bridge as an interprovincial rail link, connecting OC Transpo’s Trillium Line with Gatineau’s rapid transit network, although there has now been permanent and illegal building over of this rail infrastructure by the City of Ottawa. It was also proposed that this rail link might become part of a proposed commuter rail system. In February 2018, the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled that the city breached its duty as a rail line owner when it dismantled a section of