Copthorne Macdonald - Bridging the Strait: The Story of The Confederation Bridge Project

Bridging the Strait

The Story of the Confederation Bridge Project

To each participant of this amazing story.

The Story of the Confederation Bridge Project

Copthorne Macdonald

Copyright Strait Crossing Development Inc. 1997

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press Limited. Permission to photocopy should be requested from the Canadian Reprography Collective.

Editor: Bill Freeman
Designer: Sebastian Vasile
Printer: Metropole Litho inc.

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data

Macdonald, Copthorne

Bridging the Strait

Issued also in French under the title: Dune rive lautre.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-55002-281-4

1. Confederation Bridge (N.B. and P.E.I.). I. Title.

TG27. C66M32 1997 388.13209717 C97-930719-8

1 2 3 4 5 BF 01 00 99 98 97

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Book Publishing Industry Development Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credit in subsequent editions. J. Kirk Howard, Publisher.

Printed and bound in Canada.

Printed on recycled paper.

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PRIME MINISTER PREMIER MINISTRE

I am pleased to be a part of Bridging the Strait.

The opening of Confederation Bridge is a historic moment for the people of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and, indeed, all Canadians. It is an engineering marvel and a symbol of the good that can be done when the Government of Canada, the provinces and the private sector come together in partnership.

Taking a project of this immense size and extraordinary complexity from the drawing board to successful completion requires vision, dedication, talent and teamwork. The men and women who devoted themselves for many years to designing and building Confederation Bridge displayed these qualities in abundance. And I congratulate them.

Now that their work is done, I invite Canadians from coast to coast, and visitors from abroad, to use Confederation Bridge as their gateway to the distinctive beauty of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. And I look forward to its becoming a vital commercial link between these provinces, the rest of Canada and the world.

Bridging the Strait is a colourful and informative celebration of a tremendous feat of engineering and cooperation. I invite you to take a look and see how this dream became a reality.

As the Minister responsible for overseeing the development of Confederation Bridge, I am proud to have been involved with one of the most important construction projects in Canadian history.

Confederation Bridge is a historic undertaking by the Government of Canada. The 13kilometre bridge, the longest continuous span bridge in the western hemisphere, is a symbol of Canadian unity and an example of close cooperation between the Government of Canada, the provinces and the private sector. The arrangement the Government of Canada entered into with Strait Crossing Development Inc. represents a new approach to the provision of vital transportation services and infrastructure construction in Canada.

There are many reasons to be proud of our collective accomplishments in the development of this bridge, not the least of which is the historic significance of this new bridge and its deep roots in our past.

The 1873 Terms of Union between Canada and Prince Edward Island placed a constitutional obligation on the federal government to maintain continuous communication between the Island and the mainland. The government of Canada, in partnership with private industry and with the support of the provinces, has delivered on this commitment with a 1990s solution to a 124 year old commitment.

For me, celebrating the successful conclusion of the pivotal construction phase of this project is not only about our past accomplishments, but also about our collective future as a nation.

The Confederation Bridge initiative is a demonstration of good government and sound fiscal and environmental responsibility. It is also promoting long-term economic development and job creation.

Today, we have a new, world-class transportation service that celebrates Canadas past, Canadas present and a confident future rich in opportunity and prosperity.

I hope you will enjoy the many images captured in this book, Bridging the Strait, which highlights various aspects of the history of transportation across the Northumberland Strait and the construction of the bridge. This book records an important legacy in the history of our nation.

Confederation Bridge stands as an achievement that generations of Canadians can be proud of, knowing that it was Canadian ingenuity and hard work that made it a reality.

Diane Marleau