Confederation Bridge stretches over very cold water

Located in Canada, this 12.9-kilometre (8 mi) bridge opened on 31 May 1997. It links Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick. It's eight miles long and stretches over very, very cold water. It’s one of the most spectacular bridges in the world.

The curved bridge is the longest in the world crossing ice-covered water, and more than a decade after its construction, it endures as one of Canada’s top engineering achievements of the 20th century. There is ice covering straits 5 months of the year. A special design was made to accommodate this, the bridge designers developed a 52 degree conical ice shield located on the pier shaft to break up the ice. This ice shield actually lifts the ice flow up so it breaks on its own weight. Designed to last 100 years, it is the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world, and at its highest point is tall enough to allow cruise ships to pass underneath it. For user safety, the Confederation Bridge can be restricted to certain classes of vehicles from crossing because the high wind situations.

 

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