Home · Science & Technology · Engineering · Trudeau government calls off P.E.I. causeway plan
Trudeau government calls off P.E.I. causeway plan
Broadcast Date: March 8, 1969
Plans for a fixed crossing have just been abandoned. Trudeau's government has set aside the idea in favour of an economic development agreement and improved ferry service. Five years of reviews, evaluations and proposals have all been cast aside. CBC Radio's Max Ferguson takes the opportunity to poke fun at the politicians who simply won't follow through, while painting a picture of what P.E.I. might look like with lots of goods for export…but no connection to the mainland.Trudeau government calls off P.E.I. causeway plan
• The first recorded talk of a fixed link was in 1886, when Senator George Howlan proposed a tunnel or subway laid along the sea floor.• Between 1956 and 1965, fixed crossings proposals were heard from both liberal and conservative politicians in P.E.I. They got only as far as bulldozing access roads for the proposed bridge-causeway combination before the plans were dropped.
• In 1969, the Lucy Maud Montgomery ferry was put into service to ease ferry lineups.
• Dormant for almost 15 years, the plan to build a bridge was revived once more when Public Works Canada submitted a bridge proposal to the federal government in 1982. When the wheels were set in motion this time around, they never stopped.
Trudeau government calls off P.E.I. causeway plan
Medium: Radio
Program: Saturday A.M.
Broadcast Date: March 8, 1969
Guest(s):
Host: Max Ferguson
Performer: Max Ferguson
Duration: 6:20
Last updated:
June 24, 2009
Television
2:10
Building is well underway and emotions are still running high as a concrete bridge slowly emerges from the sea.
Television
2:09
First year anniversary of the Confederation Bridge and a look at how industry has been affected.
Trudeau government calls off P.E.I. causeway plan.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: June 24, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 12, 2012.]