Seal Island Bridge
| Seal Island Bridge | |
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_Bridge.JPG)
The Seal Island Bridge as seen from Boularderie Island.
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| Coordinates | 46°14′2.84″N 60°29′32.78″W / 46.2341222°N 60.4924389°WCoordinates: 46°14′2.84″N 60°29′32.78″W / 46.2341222°N 60.4924389°W |
| Carries | (Trans-Canada Highway 105) Motor vehicles |
| Crosses | Great Bras d'Or |
| Locale | Cape Breton Island (Victoria County, Nova Scotia – Boularderie Island) |
| Official name | Great Bras d'Or Crossing |
| Other name(s) | Seal Island Bridge |
| Maintained by | Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Through arch bridge |
| Total length | 716.28 m (2,350 ft) |
| Width | 2 lanes |
| Longest span | 152.4 m (500 ft) |
| Clearance below | 36 m (118 ft) at centre-span |
| History | |
| Construction begin | 1960 |
| Opened | 1961 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 7,500 vehicles/day, peak periods |
| Toll | none |
The Seal Island Bridge is a Canadian bridge located in Victoria County, Nova Scotia. It is the third longest bridge span in the province.
It is a through arch design and crosses the Great Bras d'Or channel of Bras d'Or Lake, connecting Boularderie Centre, Boularderie Island on the south side with New Harris, Cape Breton Island on the north side.
Construction of the Seal Island Bridge began in 1960 as part of the Trans-Canada Highway project. The bridge, officially known as the Great Bras d'Or Crossing, was completed in 1961 at a cost of about $4,652,850. The construction of 23 kilometres (14 mi) of approach roads increased the total cost of the project to about $6-million. The bridge is a crucial link in the Trans Canada Highway between Sydney and Baddeck, carrying more than 7,500 vehicles a day in peak periods. The structure carries 2 traffic lanes of Highway 105 and was originally constructed with a pedestrian sidewalk on each side.
The bridge crosses part of the channel on a causeway connecting the north shore of the channel to Seal Island, a small wooded island. The structure consists of eight steel box truss spans; three simply supported 76.2 m (250 ft) approach spans, two simply-supported 76.2 m (250 ft) splay spans, and a three-span continuous main span that consists of two 106.68 m (350 ft) side spans and a 152.4 m (500 ft) centre arch span. The steel structure is supported on tall reinforced concrete piers, armoured with cut stone at the waterline.
The location of the bridge had proven extremely controversial. It replaced two ferry services crossing the Great Bras d'Or; one at the northeastern end between New Campbellton-Big Bras d'Or, and the other at the southwestern end at Big Harbour-Ross Ferry.
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