Conference kaosws::canada

    i was in a greasy spoon in my neighborhood the other morning, when i
    happened to overhear some PEI'ers talking about that bridge. the
    consensus seemed to be that the bridge would be a good thing, since the
    economy in that area has been demolished.
    
    but really, how much can we hold on to these "treasured" little spots?
    was not the soil you are reading notes files from once a little piece
    of paradise? 
    
    it seems to me that people want cars, microwaves, computers etc., but
    they are not willing to admit that much destruction, and exploration
    of the earth has been responsible for those very things we cherish.
    
    i say "Pave the World", for only when we have destroyed the world will
    we know what we have done, then we can do something about it.
    
    build a bridge Bob, get over it.
    
    chris

    
    The bridge is a massive, huge project with gigantic pre-assembled sections.
    
    It's about half-built.  I don't think it aill change the place that much.
    It's too far from the mainstream now.
    
    Marshall  

    I don't think it is half-built yet. The real project calls for a bridge
    to PEI, starting from Brest, Saint-Malo, or Galway (TBD), with a
    stop-over in Saint-Pierre or Miquelon. It is sponsored by potato
    appreciation clubs and the prime contractor is the Franco-English company 
    which dug 1) the tunnel under the channel, and 2) itself into bankrupcy. 
    As non-potato-connoiseurs around western Europe do not know where PEI is 
    or even that it exists, it is also advertised as a caribbean vacation 
    destination, expecting it could accelerate the fundraising.

    The bridge is more than half built...in fact, it is supposed to be
    completed in the Oct-Nov timeframe.
    
    pete

    re: .0    How do you get to Martha's Vineyard without a bridge? For
              PEI, it's strictly ferries and air travel and the cost to
              provide those was one of the reasons to put in a fixed link.
              Thought being it will 'eventually' be cheaper to get us all
              onto, and then to hell off of, the Island. Also, the weather
              and its affect on air/ferry travel was a bit of a factor I
              think?
    
              and totally un-related to anything about today, PEI is
              supposed to have some wonderful golf courses...

    I do believe it will change the landscape of PEI. As Chris, stated in
    .1, we destroy things, and then later look back and say, geez that was
    a mistake. Why do the residents live in PEI? For the landscape and
    laid back style of living. (and potatoe growing?) Yet they are building 
    a bridge that can increase employment in the area so they can continue to 
    their present lifestyles. But this bridge will in the end (IMO) alter
    or destroy their present way of life and the landscape of PEI. 
    Nasty circle. I think Canadians should look at the United Staes, and 
    then discuss, is this the direction we want to go? 
    
    
    Sean
    
    

  Where are the start and end points of the bridge? I would like to check it
out on a map.
  Re ferries and planes to the island: Are the ferries heavily subsidized?
If so, does the PEI government cover most of the subsidy?
  I can see how the bean-counters would look at the situation and say that
a bridge will pay for itself in X years due to government money no longer
being spent to subsidize ferries.
  PEI *will* lose its character as a result of the bridge, unless the residents
take vigorous action to preserve their scenery. I suspect that the framework
is not in place now to protect their environment because over-development was
never a threat before. 
  I have always wanted to see PEI, along with NB and NS. I'm going to plan on
going there within the next two years. I figure I have that much time to see
it more or less as it is now.

    What's the big deal with PEI ? Sarnia , Ont. has about is 1/4 the population
    size of PEI (OK, maybe not Sarnia, but certainly Lambton County), and
    they are already twinning their initial bridge to civilization (ie. to
    Port-Huron, Mi.), aka the Bluewatwer Bridge. On top of that most locals 
    have been equiped with thumbs for several generations, and all of those
    I have met stand vertical on their rear legs (and so did I by the time
    I left. I am still working on the thumbs aspect though), so what's the big 
    deal with PEI ?

    if you're going to see it before it gets 'ruined', you'll have to do
    this year because by next year you'll be able to walk there!
    
    There was/is quite a bit of concern that the Island would lose its
    identity but the fixed link went ahead. I'm no authority but it seems to
    me that the ferries are losing money and are subsidized and that is
    where the bean counters came in. The ferries (I think there are 3?) fall
    under the Canadian National Railway portfolio which has never made a $$
    in its lifetime and has been under some serious 'down-sizing'.
    
    Bridge builders need jobs too!
    
    Sorry, don't know the details on where it starts/ends. Try the net to
    see if there's any links about the link?

    I don't know where it "starts" or "ends", but the it reaches land at
    almost the same points as the Borden (P.E.I.) / Cape Tormentine (N.B.)
    ferry. On the P.E.I. side it is right beside the ferry terminal. On the
    New Brunswick side it is a little further west from the terminal, maybe
    a kilometer. 
    
    You get a really good view of the construction progress from the ferry.
    It's an amazing technological undertaking (almost as amazing as the
    Grand Canal).
    
    By the by, my understanding is that the ferry from Wood Island, P.E.I.
    to Caribou, N.S. is run by a private company (Northumberland Ferry
    Limited?).
    
    Regards,
    Tom

    
    Change Coming in Big Way to Unspoiled Prince Edward Island 
    
          CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island (AP) - Change is
          coming in a big way to this picturesque little island. One of the
          world's longest bridges is rising, span by spectacular span, to
          connect Canada's smallest province with the mainland. 
    
          The eight-mile bridge is more than half completed and is expected
          to open on schedule next June, replacing a ferry service that has
          linked the island to New Brunswick since 1832. 
    
          Government officials hope the bridge over the Northumberland
          Strait will boost the number of tourists to more than 1 million
          annually, up from the current 800,000, and inspire a wave of
          business investment as transport becomes cheaper and easier. 
    
          The drive over the bridge will take about 15 minutes, compared to
          45 minutes on the ferry. But islanders say that comparison
          understates the convenience the bridge will bring - in peak summer
          season, backed-up motorists often wait hours to get their vehicles
          aboard a ferry. 
    
          The bridge construction project is anything but simple, though it has
          proceeded on schedule and within its $613 million budget. Some
          2,500 workers have been involved; three have been killed on the
          job. 
    
          The bridge consists of 44 spans, each with a main concrete girder
          630 feet long. A towering, Dutch-built heavy-lifting vessel has been
          carrying the 7,500-ton girders from an on-shore construction site
          and hoisting them delicately atop huge piers rising from bases
          below the strait. 
    
                                                                         

    As a potential tourist to the area in the next few years, I would
    appreciate the bridge over the ferry.  I think the bridge will hurt
    Nova scotia more than it affects PEI.  PEI is small enough you could
    drive around it in less than a day.  This will make it very tempting to
    a lot of maritime visitors who will forsake other areas of the
    maritimes.  
    
    I don't expect the nature of PEI to change that much.  The magnitude of
    change is now in the hands of the local city councils who regulate
    local development and such.  
    
    Doug

    Just got back from PEI last Tuesday as a matter of fact. It is even
    more beautiful than "they" say it is. The bridge seems to be going up
    quickly.  I heard(read) a stat that in 1995 there were 800,000 visitors to
    PEI last year(PEI Tourist Board).  Seems people believe that the
    tourist number wouldn't increase by any incredible number since for
    most people to get to PEI involves quite a drive from other parts of
    USA and Canada already. But the impact on the commercial life of the
    island is expected to be great. Goods to market etc.
    
    From conversations etc. (albeit not scientific) people seem positive about 
    the bridge.
    
    By the way PEI has a fine network of roads. Of course it's
    small compared to ONT. and QUE. but the whole Atlantic provinces make
    it very easy to get around.
    
    
    MIke

I just got back from a week in New Brunswick and took a day to bring
the wife and kids on the "Abegweit" one last time. It looks like the
bridge will be done for next year.

-Paul