![]() ![]() “Friends of the Island” - a coalition including a union (worried about the loss of ferry jobs), fishers and environmentalists - argued the bridge would bring too many people to the small island, endangering their distinct “island way of life.” On the other side, “Islanders for a Better Tomorrow” - primarily a business-oriented group - argued a bridge would increase tourism and provide a reliable and more cost efficient way to deliver products and produce to the mainland. The debate quickly galvanized the province. Premier Joe Ghiz chose not to take a public position and called for a plebiscite to allow Islanders to decide the issue. ![]() In spite of decades of complaints about the ferry service, the idea of building a fixed link stirred controversy on the Island. Twelve groups submitted proposals and the federal government said it would back the project as long as PEI supported it. Work began on the crossing, but in 1969, with cost estimates skyrocketing, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau cancelled the project.īy the late 1980s, with the federal government facing ever-increasing costs of subsidizing ferry service to the Island, Ottawa called for “expressions of interest” from private companies interested in building, operating and maintaining a fixed link structure connecting PEI to the mainland. Although Diefenbaker lost the election, the subsequent Liberal government said it would go ahead with the project. The idea gained momentum again in 1962, when Prime Minister John Diefenbaker announced Ottawa would commit $105 million to build a causeway that would handle cars and trains. Over the years, ferry service improved with the construction of ships that could better handle the tough winter conditions in the Strait, but talk of a fixed link crossing was always in the background. A year later a delegation travelled from PEI to London to lobby for a railway tunnel, but those efforts fell on deaf ears.īefore Confederation Bridge opened in 1997, Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island was the eastern terminal of the Marine Atlantic ferry between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.\r\n ![]() Howlan called for a tunnel-like structure that would lie on the ocean floor. In 1885, PEI Senator George Howlan first floated the idea of building a fixed link to the mainland. Vessels couldn’t handle the thick ice that jams the Northumberland Strait in the winter and ferry service was often disrupted for days. In the early days that promise proved difficult to keep. Knowing the importance of maintaining links to the mainland, the Island’s political leaders insisted that a clause requiring the federal government to establish and maintain a service to convey mail and passengers to the Island year round be enshrined in the terms of Confederation. The factors leading to the decision to build a fixed link connecting Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick, and thus the rest of Canada, date back to 1873 and PEI’s decision to join Confederation. The MBA previously announced the driver assistance program and snowmobile, passenger and bicyclist transportation programs would also be suspended over coronavirus concerns.Confederation Bridge over a frozen Northumberland Strait. Frequent users of the bridge can open a MacPass account at /Login. Information on this new payment policy can be found at .Īccording to the bridge authority, so far this month, about 64 percent of customers have paid the bridge tolls with cash, 7 percent with credit/debit cards, and 29 percent with MacPass cards or windshield stickers. Drivers will not need to hand their cards to the toll collector. If drivers want to pay with credit or debit cards, the toll collector will hold the credit card device out to the driver so they can insert their card. ![]() More: Detroit Metro Airport worker tests positive for coronavirus More: US-Canada border to close for non-essential travel, but workers can cross "We'll reevaluate this policy as the situation evolves." "We realize this change may be an inconvenience for many of our customers, but eliminating the handling of cash between drivers and our employees is one more way we can help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus," said MBA Executive Secretary Kim Nowack. The MBA and toll staff will be encouraging transition to non-cash payments beginning Wednesday. The Mackinac Bridge will no longer accept cash for those wanting to cross the bridge beginning Saturday amid concerns of the coronavirus, the bridge authority announced Wednesday.īridge customers will need to pay with a credit or debit card, or use a MacPass card or windshield sticker. ![]()
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