Northumberland Strait Bridge
Vernon River Consolidated
Vernon River, Prince Edward Island

By Joanne

At the conclusion of the previous school year, students from Vernon River Consolidated in Prince Edward Island went to view the first makings of the bridge that will link PEI to New Brunswick.

The length of the bridge will be 1.2 kilometres, which is the shortest distance between PEI and the Mainland. Its width will be 11 meters from guardrail to guardrail. The average distance from the water surface to the bottom of the bridge is 40 meters but there is a section of the bridge that has a distance of 60 meters. This is in the event that, if any very tall boats wanted to get through, they will be able to do so.

The length of the approach bridge from New Brunswick is 1,275 meters, and the one from PEI is 555 meters. The approach bridge components were made in New Brunswick, while the ones for the main bridge were produced in PEI.

There will be 24-hour services, including traffic control, wind monitoring, snow and ice removal, and a pedestrain and cyclist shuttle service. The toll rate for crossing the bridge will be the same as the 1992 rate for the ferry service, and it will be open year-round.