The Interesting Story Behind the Confederation Bridge

Getting mail, supplies and passengers to and from Prince Edward Island (PEI) during the winter months has long been a challenge. The straits between it and the mainland partially freeze over, but the strong tidal currents ever-present there, usually leave large open, iceberg strewn channels of water to contend with.

Throughout most of the 19th century, the winter passages were made with ice boats - dory-like boats with runners on the bottom. These small boats each carried 6-10 people. In places where the ice was thick, the men got out, passengers and all, and used straps to tow the boat across the ice. When they got to open water, the men would jump back in and row or sail across the water. The tough parts were the areas where the ice wasn’t thick enough to support the boat and men. One man would walk in front of the boat, smashing the ice with his feet to clear the way, while holding onto the bow of the boat to keep from falling into the drink. Meanwhile, the other men would remain in the boat and use grappling hooks to pull the boat along. At least one trip in each direction was made everyday, weather permitting, and often, five or more boats would travel together. On a good day, the passage would take about four hours. Surprisingly, there was very little loss of life. I found an interesting story written by a man making the passage https://sailstrait.wordpress.com/2022/03/28/the-rite-of-passage-crossing-the-strait-by-iceboat/ .

When PEI joined the Dominion of Canada in 1873, as part of the agreement, the Canadian government was obligated to provide mail and passenger service between the island and the mainland year round. They began running a regular steamship schedule during the summer, but the ship wasn’t capable of breaking through the ice, so during the winter months, the government continued utilizing the ice boats. These were used until 1915, when an ice breaking ferry was purchased, and the ice boats were finally retired.

Over the following decades, newer, more advanced ferries were phased in, but maintaining the year-round schedule was getting more expensive with each passing year. In the 1990s, the government was paying roughly $44 million each year, subsidizing the operational losses. The Provincial government as well as the Canadian government entertained several alternatives, including a bridge, a tunnel under the strait, and a combination bridge/tunnel, much like the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

One suggestion was to build a causeway most of the way, then either a tunnel or bridge to span the gap. Despite major concerns by the shipping industry, money was allotted and work began constructing approach roads. When experts at the Canadian Hydrographic Service pointed out that the tidal current through the gap would reach 18 knots, close to or in excess of  top speed for most ships, that plan was dropped.

Building a bridge over the entire strait became the favored plan, but such a bridge would be more difficult to construct than in most other places in the world. It would have to be high enough to allow the largest ships to pass under, and at least 8 miles (13km) long, of course, but these problems were encountered by many other bridges. Then there are the brutal winter conditions and the freeze-up of much of the water around the supports to contend with, but again, these were problems faced by bridge engineers elsewhere… although at 8 miles long, it would be the longest bridge over ice-covered water in the world. The unique problem was that most bridges don’t have to contend with icebergs, being pushed along at 4 knots and ramming into the supports anywhere along the 8-mile length from either direction.

Despite the difficulties, the company Strait Crossing Development, Inc. (SCDI) developed a feasible design and plan. After numerous legal challenges, a contentious referendum in PEI, and a long environmental impact assessment, the project was approved and a contract was awarded to SCDI in December of 1992.

Construction began in the fall of 1993. A fabrication facility was built on the shore, and each component of the bridge was constructed there. Because of the immense weight of the bridge components, the soil in the fabrication facility had to be reinforced. Once a component was completed, a specialized crawler transport was used to move the section from the fabrication area to a pier. (I would have loved to find a picture of the crawler, but all I could find were pictures of the NASA crawler - a totally different beast that is used to transport launch vehicles). Once on the pier, the section was lifted, transported and placed in position using a Dutch-built heavy lift catamaran. To call this a ‘heavy lift’ catamaran is a major understatement. This huge vessel had a total height of 328 feet (100m), equivalent to a 32-story building, and could lift 3000 tons! When it was tied up at the pier on PEI, it was the tallest manmade structure in the province.

To deflect icebergs, steel-reinforced concrete deflection “cones” were constructed and placed around each support. Since most of an iceberg is below the water surface, the cones extend from just above the high water level to the base of each support.

The bridge was completed in April on 1997. Over the 3-1/2 years of work, more than 5,000 people were employed. Almost 75,000 people attended the official opening on May 31, 1997, which featured a “Bridge Walk”, a “Bridge Run”, a sail-by by the famous schooner Bluenose II, and a flyover by the Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds.

The total cost for the bridge was $1.3 billion, about 30% over budget. SCDI paid for the construction with funding from private investors and bond issues. To recoup its money, the Canadian government agreed to pay SCDI roughly $44 million a year for 33 years, which was the same amount that the government was paying to subsidize the ferry operating costs annually. In addition, SCDI collects and keeps the toll revenues, and in return, repairs and maintains the bridge and roadway. In 2032, the bridge ownership will pass to the federal government.

Currently, the toll for a passenger car is just over $50. Even the local residents have to pay the full amount, a fact that is often complained about by the islanders we met who have family and friends just across the bridge on the mainland. There is no toll crossing over to PEI, only on leaving the island, which has lead to a few jokes:

“There are a number of people that couldn’t afford the $50 to leave the island, so now live here. Be careful, this could happen to you!”

and “Leaving PEI is like hiring a prostitute… it costs $50 to get off.”

See you next week…