Newfoundlanders rallying for bridge
LONG ISLAND, Nfld. — A waterway users study may be conducted this fall in order to investigate the feasibility and costs of building a bridge between Long Island and Pilley’s Island.
Percy Barrett, Minister of Works, Services and Transportation will call for project proposals this fall and hopes to have the study completed by spring 2003.
The study will determine the optimum vertical and horizontal bridge opening necessary to accommodate marine traffic and these results will help determine if this construction is financially feasible. Currently the government spends $600,000 annually in ferry services between Long Island and Pilley’s Island.
Registration of the project under the federal Navigable Waters Protection Act, is expected to trigger an environmental review under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
In the 2001 budget, the provincial government announced it would commit funding to the project if the federal government agreed to contribute. To date, no agreement has been reached. Barrett says if the federal government is not willing to contribute under a partnership agreement, the province will investigate other ways to fund the project.
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