Bridge Over Troubled Waters
By Carter Hammett
While some drivers may complain about bridge closures during the winter, the Confederation Bridge stands as a unique reminder of the power of vision and a reflection of community building.
Ever since its 1997 opening, the iconic Confederation Bridge has been praised as an engineering marvel and has proudly kept its status as the longest bridge (12.9 km) over ice-covered waters in the world.
Owned by the Government of Canada, the bridge covers the Northumberland Strait and links Jourimain Island N.B. with Borden-Carleton P.E.I. It’s built in three parts: the seven-pier 0,6 kilometre East Approach Bridge; The West Approach Bridge, which heads east from N.B., and the 11 km Main Bridge which joins the other two. The bridge was designed to last 100 years: twice the lifespan of the average bridge.
The majority of the structure is 40 metres above sea level, with its highest point reaching 60 metres, which allows ships to sail beneath the bridge and between its piers.
Perhaps the most unique and impressive feature of the structure, however, are the ice breaking shields at that waterline, which continue down to 4 m below average sea level to ensure maximum protection for the support piers against the thickest possible ice layers.
The bridge has a number of built in features that enhance its safety, including concrete barriers which are designed to minimize visual distractions while also serving as a wind break; Seven thousand drain ports enable melting snow and ice to run off during winter and roadway curves to keep drivers alert while reducing the chances of accidents. The road surface is also composed of a long-lasting bituminous mix that helps reduce road spray during wet weather as well.
Built over four years at a cost of $1 billion, the bridge employed 5000 people during the construction phase. This followed years of increased subsidy costs for the ferry service that acted as the main link between P.E.I. and New Brunswick for decades. Finally in the late 1980s the feds called for expressions of interest from private companies to build a bridge to the mainland.
The bridge was finally financed, built and operated as a public-private partnership by developer Strait Crossing Development Inc. and the attention to detail has been nothing short of stellar.
There are times when it’s necessary to close the bridge during extreme weather conditions, but generally speaking the bridge is designed to minimize most weather concerns. That said, there have been exceptions where the structure has had to close to all traffic, although these occasions have been rare. Usually the most common wind restrictions apply only to a few vehicles, including motorcycles, vehicles towing objects and high-sided vehicles.
Crossing the actual bridge only takes about 10 minutes under normal conditions. It is the most direct, cost-effective way of crossing from one province to the next with some exceptions of course. Vehicles longer than 2.6 metres, need to report to either province’s scale house where they will be measured before using the bridge. Vehicles longer than 3.6 metres may require a bridge escort, while vehicles measuring more than 4.26 metres in width require both a lane closure and a bridge escort.
Another remarkable achievement that tends to fly under the radar are the builders’ concerns for the surrounding environment. SCDI established new lobster terrain by strategically disposing dredged material into non-productive fishery areas of the Northumberland Strait. This also enhanced the existing environment for other crustaceans and plant life as well.
But it wasn’t just marine life that benefited from the bridge design. SCDI also constructed nesting platforms for ospreys, in Cape Jourimain National Wildlife area, in the process becoming the area’s most extensive osprey management program to date.
As if that weren’t enough, on the tenth anniversary of the Bridge, researchers were commissioned to assess the bridge’s impact on the environment over the previous decade. Researchers determined that 16 million litres of fuel and over 44 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide along with other greenhouse gases were minimized as a result of the bridge.
Furthermore, vehicles using the bridge consume one-tenth of the fuel that a similar crossing using a ferry would consume, which has also contributed to a decrease in greenhouse gases.
Even the bridge’s lighting system–responsible for 45% of its energy use–didn’t escape notice after 315 lights were replaced with an LED lighting system, resulting in an impressive 30% decrease in power consumption.
So the next time drivers find themselves at The Confederation Bridge huffing over wait times or winter delays, remember the significant achievement this engineering marvel has been recognized as and be proud of the ingenuity that it has contributed to the economy, the community it connects and beyond.
