North-East & Canada Cruise - Confederation Bridge, PEI

Confederation Bridge, Prince Edward Island, Canada

This is a cross section of a piece from the construction of the Confederation Bridge.

It is located in Bridge Park near the Information office in Borden-Carleton on the Prince Edward Island side of the bridge.

The information centre can be seen to the right of the picture.

Construction utilized very high-grade concrete and reinforcing steel bars, which are visible in the pictures.

The start of the bridge. Construction started in the Fall of 1993. The official opening was on May 31st 1997.

In total, the bridge is 12.9 kms (8 miles) long.

The total cost of the bridge was approximately C$1.3 billion (US$1 billion).

The bridge has an estimated life of around 100 years.

It is a two-lane toll bridge, and is part of the Trans-Canada Highway system. It connects Borden-Carleton in Prince Edward Islandto Cape Jourimain in New Brunswick.

Detail of one of the pier shafts supporting the bridge.

For most of its length, the bridge is about 40 meters (c. 130 feet) above sea level. The Navigation Span is closer to 60 metres (c. 195 feet) above sea level to permit larger vessels to pass under it.

Bridge toll charges depend on the number of axles the vehicle has. Tolls are collected when leaving Prince Edward Island in the same way that ferry tolls are charged. Thus, arriving by ferry and leaving by bridge costs the bridge toll. Doing it the other way costs the, more expensive, ferry toll when leaving!

The Port Borden Range Front & Rear lighthouses went into service in 1918. This, the rear tower, is now located & preserved in the Marine Park in Borden-Carleton near the start of the Confederation Bridge. The front light has been abandoned. Click the picture for more information - opens on a new page.

This is a cross section of a piece from the construction of the Confederation Bridge.

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