Fixed link

A fixed link, fixed crossing, or bridge–tunnel is a persistent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries.

The Confederation Bridge was commonly referred to as "The Fixed Link" by residents of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island prior to its official naming.

Tunnels and bridge–tunnels

For water crossings, a tunnel is generally more costly to construct than a bridge. However, navigational considerations at some locations may limit the use of high bridges or drawbridge spans when crossing shipping channels, necessitating the use of a tunnel. Examples of such tunnels include the Downtown Tunnel and Midtown Tunnel under the Elizabeth River between Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia in the United States and the George Massey Tunnel in Greater Vancouver, Canada.

In other instances, when longer distances are involved, a bridge–tunnel may be less costly and easier to ventilate than a single, lengthy tunnel. This situation may occur when more economical drawbridges are not allowed for one reason or another. For example, in the U.S. state of Virginia, such crossings include the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel and the Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel, both of which cross the harbor at Hampton Roads, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel, a 37 km (23 mi) long structure (including approach highways) that crosses the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay with a combination of bridges and tunnels across two widely separated shipping channels, using four artificial islands built in the bay as portals. Tunnels had to be used instead of drawbridges because the waterways they cross are critical to military naval operations and could not afford to be blocked off by a bridge collapse in the event of disaster or war.

Confederation Bridge

The Confederation Bridge (French: Pont de la Confédération) spans the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait. It links Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick, Canada. Before its official naming, Prince Edward Islanders often referred to the bridge as the "Fixed Link". Construction took place from October 1993 to May 1997 and cost C$1.3 billion. The 12.9-kilometre (8 mi) bridge opened on May 31, 1997.

Structure

The bridge is a two-lane toll bridge that carries the Trans-Canada Highway between Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island (at Route 1) and Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick (at Route 16).

It is a multi-span beam bridge with a post-tensioned concrete box girder structure. Most of the curved bridge is 40 metres (131 ft) above water with a 60 m (197 ft) navigation span for ship traffic. The bridge rests on 62 piers, of which the 44 main piers are 250 m (820 ft) apart. The bridge is 11 m (36 ft) wide.

The speed limit on the bridge is 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). It takes about 12 minutes to cross the bridge.