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FOR better or for worse, 124 years after joining the Canadian Confederation, Prince Edward Island is really married to the mainland, thanks to the 13-kilometre fixed link now known as Confederation Bridge. A far cry from the ice boats that carried Islanders to New Brunswick and back in winter for a mere $2, the bridge is replacing a ferry service that began in 1917. Eleven years and at least as many major hurdles later, the bridge is a reality, and the island something of an illusion. Unlike previous attempts -- in 1909 and 1965 -- to conquer the Northumberland Strait with tunnels, causeways and bridges in various combinations, this $840-million 'fixed link' effort managed to stay above the political turmoil and economic uncertainty that were part of the process from the moment seven design proposals were unveiled in June of 1988, if not before. Early concerns about endangered species of vegetation on P.E.I., wrangling over environmental reviews that left opponents unsatisfied about the mega-project's effect on ice movement, fish and Island society, and three fatal on-site accidents made the designing and engineering look like the easy part. The design has been described as simple and elegant -- "like a child's erector set, only much bigger." Four pieces make up the main elements: pier bases fixed to the sea floor that rise as much as 42 metres to break the surface of the water; the pier shafts with their huge ice shields; and the 192-m-long, 7,500-ton main girders, which are connected by 60-m, 1,200-ton drop-in spans. The highest point of the bridge, the navigation span, is 60 m high, while the rest of the spans average 40 m above the water. Construction began in October, 1993, but with most of the work being carried out on land, the first of 44 main girders wasn't installed until two years later, at which point six pier bases and three pier shafts had already been placed in the Strait by the HLV Svanen, a massive twin-hulled floating crane. Kevin Pytyck, manager of contract administration for Strait Crossing Inc., said at the time that with the placement of the first main girder, all facets of the project, including the concepts, methods, production and installation, had been proven. Aside from its sheer size (SCI says it is the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world), the fact that its 'reliability index' is higher than any bridge in North America and that the concrete used is two to three times stronger than that used in typical bridge or other construction project, Pytyck says the most impressive engineering feat is the ice shields. In a Discovery Channel program about the bridge, Pytyck says Confederation Bridge is the first structure of its kind to include resistance to ice-forming waters. "The ice shields are probably the most unique aspect of the design and execution," he says, explaining that they are designed to deal with (potentially) 30-m thick ice from shore to shore, which often forms ridges above the surface and keels below. Although they paled in comparison to political and financial problems, the engineering aspects of the project were not without controversy. Substandard concrete resulting from "failure to rigorously follow established procedures," at the Bayfield, N.B. casting facility was a "major and ongoing concern" according to a Daily Commercial News report about a study published in November 1994 by Buckland and Taylor Ltd. of Vancouver. The problem lasted at least three months following its discovery in August '94, and meant that a set of pier shafts cast in September had to be replaced during the following two months because of bad concrete. The study also found that concrete-testing labs in both N.B. and P.E.I. were not CSA certified, and poor quality control in underwater pouting for an approach pier on the P.E.I. side had resulted in replacement of the concrete and a $500,000 insurance claim for losses by SCI. Pytyck was quoted as saying the problem was corrected before casting resumed in mid-January, and no substandard sections were used in the bridge. Like the many other obstacles in its way, the project rose above this one to become another Canadian 'engineering marvel.' May it contribute to the Island's attractions without substantially altering the way of life of the 130,000 citizens in Canada's most densely populated province.