Newfoundland-Labrador fixed link
Encyclopedia
The Newfoundland-Labrador fixed link refers to various proposals for constructing a fixed link consisting of bridge
s, tunnel
s, and/or causeway
s across the Strait of Belle Isle, connecting the province of Newfoundland and Labrador
's mainland Labrador
region with the island of Newfoundland. This strait has a minimum width of 17.4 km (10.8 mi).
The idea was conceived by mining engineer Tom Kierans during the early 1970s as a means to bring hydroelectricity
from Churchill Falls to the island part of the province. Approximately $75 million was spent by the provincial government on constructing such a utility tunnel but the project was cancelled in 1975.
In the lead-up to the October 2003 provincial election, Progressive Conservative leader Danny Williams
promised to fund a feasibility study to placate link supporters.
, was released in 2004. It examined causeway, bridge and tunnel options and recommended that a tunnel beneath the Strait of Belle Isle, accommodating a single railway track, would be the only feasible option, given the area's harsh winter weather conditions, the strait's bathymetry
(the depth and shape of the sea floor), and the geology of underlying soils.
Electric-powered trains would be loaded on either side and carry cars, buses and transport trucks. The authors of the study estimated that construction, either by tunnel boring
or lowering pre-constructed tunnel sections to a trench in the sea floor, is beyond the current technological limit due to the depth of the sea floor and scouring of the strait by icebergs.
The authors also stated that the cost of construction and low traffic levels would not justify the cost. Conceivably, if built with federal aid, the 1949 terms of union might be amended to remove federal subsidies from the federally operated Marine Atlantic
ferry service that connects Port-aux-Basques
with North Sydney, Nova Scotia
and place them instead on the proposed fixed link.
In terms of driving distance, a fixed link would not be favourable for residents of the Maritimes
or parts of the Eastern Seaboard
of the United States
as they would have to drive to Quebec City
where bridges cross the St. Lawrence River (there are ferries further downstream), before continuing east along Quebec
's Côte-Nord
(of the Gulf of St. Lawrence).
in 2009 and upgrades to its counterpart Route 389
.
An ideal road connection for a fixed link across the Strait of Belle Isle would be a complete highway along Quebec's Côte-Nord, however, Route 138
is currently completed only to Natashquan
.
Additionally, parts of Route 389, starting approximately 212 km (131.7 mi) from Baie-Comeau at the Manic-5 generating station to 482 km (299.5 mi) at Fire Lake have a substandard alignment. The section from Manic-5 through Fire Lake to Mount Wright is extremely accident-prone and notorious among drivers for its poor surface and sharp curves; the joke being you can see your own taillights.
Residents in Labrador lobbied the Quebec government to realign the highway, and are lobbying the Newfoundland and Labrador government to upgrade the Trans-Labrador Highway from loose surface to asphalt at Trans-Canada Highway
standards. On 9 April 2009, the Quebec government announced a $438 million project to upgrade Route 389 from Route 138 to Fermont, bringing it very close to the Labrador border http://www.pdac.ca/pdac/misc/090326.html. This should be particularly beneficial to the Manic-5-Mount Wright section.
Many business and community leaders in Newfoundland and the rest of Canada have also spoken out against the project, noting that the economic argument for such a link is not proven. Internationally, the influential business news magazine The Economist
has derided the proposal in a story called Now let's dig an expensive hole.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s, tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s, and/or causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
s across the Strait of Belle Isle, connecting the province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
's mainland Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
region with the island of Newfoundland. This strait has a minimum width of 17.4 km (10.8 mi).
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
from Churchill Falls to the island part of the province. Approximately $75 million was spent by the provincial government on constructing such a utility tunnel but the project was cancelled in 1975.
In the lead-up to the October 2003 provincial election, Progressive Conservative leader Danny Williams
Danny Williams (politician)
Daniel E. "Danny" Williams, QC, MHA is a Canadian politician, businessman and lawyer who served as the ninth Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador between November 6, 2003, and December 3, 2010. Williams was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador...
promised to fund a feasibility study to placate link supporters.
2004 Feasibility Study
The feasibility study into a Newfoundland-Labrador fixed link, resulting from the 2003 election promise by newly-elected premier Danny WilliamsDanny Williams (politician)
Daniel E. "Danny" Williams, QC, MHA is a Canadian politician, businessman and lawyer who served as the ninth Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador between November 6, 2003, and December 3, 2010. Williams was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador...
, was released in 2004. It examined causeway, bridge and tunnel options and recommended that a tunnel beneath the Strait of Belle Isle, accommodating a single railway track, would be the only feasible option, given the area's harsh winter weather conditions, the strait's bathymetry
Bathymetry
Bathymetry is the study of underwater depth of lake or ocean floors. In other words, bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to hypsometry. The name comes from Greek βαθύς , "deep", and μέτρον , "measure"...
(the depth and shape of the sea floor), and the geology of underlying soils.
Electric-powered trains would be loaded on either side and carry cars, buses and transport trucks. The authors of the study estimated that construction, either by tunnel boring
Boring
Boring often refers to anything that causes boredom.Boring may also refer to:Making holes*Boring , the drilling of holes or tunnels in the earth**Tunnel boring machine machine used in boring tunnels or shafts...
or lowering pre-constructed tunnel sections to a trench in the sea floor, is beyond the current technological limit due to the depth of the sea floor and scouring of the strait by icebergs.
The authors also stated that the cost of construction and low traffic levels would not justify the cost. Conceivably, if built with federal aid, the 1949 terms of union might be amended to remove federal subsidies from the federally operated Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...
ferry service that connects Port-aux-Basques
Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador
Channel-Port aux Basques is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of the island of Newfoundland fronting on the eastern end of the Cabot Strait. A Marine Atlantic ferry terminal is located in the town which is the primary entry point onto the island of Newfoundland and the western terminus of...
with North Sydney, Nova Scotia
North Sydney, Nova Scotia
North Sydney is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.Located on the north side of Sydney Harbour, along the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, North Sydney is an important port in Atlantic Canada as it is the western terminus of the Marine Atlantic ferry service...
and place them instead on the proposed fixed link.
In terms of driving distance, a fixed link would not be favourable for residents of the Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
or parts of the Eastern Seaboard
Eastern seaboard
An Eastern seaboard can mean any easternmost part of a continent, or its countries, states and/or cities.Eastern seaboard may also refer to:* East Coast of Australia* East Coast of the United States* Eastern Seaboard of Thailand-See also:...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as they would have to drive to Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
where bridges cross the St. Lawrence River (there are ferries further downstream), before continuing east along Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
's Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord is the second largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec...
(of the Gulf of St. Lawrence).
Highway connections
The south coast of Labrador was isolated from the rest of the North American road network, until completion of the Trans-Labrador HighwayTrans-Labrador Highway
The Trans-Labrador Highway is a Canadian highway located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primary public road in Labrador and one of the few in that part of the province....
in 2009 and upgrades to its counterpart Route 389
Quebec route 389
Quebec's Route 389 connects Route 138 adjacent to Baie-Comeau with the Newfoundland and Labrador border, connecting with the Trans-Labrador Highway to Wabush and Labrador City, and beyond to Goose Bay...
.
An ideal road connection for a fixed link across the Strait of Belle Isle would be a complete highway along Quebec's Côte-Nord, however, Route 138
Quebec route 138
Route 138 is a major highway in the Canadian province of Quebec, following the entire north shore of the Saint Lawrence River past Montreal to the eastern terminus in Natashquan on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The western terminus is in Elgin, at the border with New York State south-west of Montreal...
is currently completed only to Natashquan
Natashquan, Quebec (municipality)
Natashquan is a township municipality and village in Minganie Regional County Municipality, Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada. It should not be confused with the adjacent but separate Innu reserve of Natashquan....
.
Additionally, parts of Route 389, starting approximately 212 km (131.7 mi) from Baie-Comeau at the Manic-5 generating station to 482 km (299.5 mi) at Fire Lake have a substandard alignment. The section from Manic-5 through Fire Lake to Mount Wright is extremely accident-prone and notorious among drivers for its poor surface and sharp curves; the joke being you can see your own taillights.
Residents in Labrador lobbied the Quebec government to realign the highway, and are lobbying the Newfoundland and Labrador government to upgrade the Trans-Labrador Highway from loose surface to asphalt at Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
standards. On 9 April 2009, the Quebec government announced a $438 million project to upgrade Route 389 from Route 138 to Fermont, bringing it very close to the Labrador border http://www.pdac.ca/pdac/misc/090326.html. This should be particularly beneficial to the Manic-5-Mount Wright section.
Criticism of the project
In light of federal government plans to make significant upgrades to its Marine Atlantic ferry service, it would appear that federal politicians and bureaucrats have not accepted the vision of a fixed link to the island of Newfoundland, preferring instead to focus on improving a ferry service that has been in daily operation since 1898.Many business and community leaders in Newfoundland and the rest of Canada have also spoken out against the project, noting that the economic argument for such a link is not proven. Internationally, the influential business news magazine The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
has derided the proposal in a story called Now let's dig an expensive hole.