Six Bridge Options (1963 Study)

[ghYHZ]

Came across a 1963 Study with 6 Bridge options for the Harbour and North West Arm:







What eventually became the MacKay......







A 'Twined' MacDonald.....







Cogswell/Cornwallis St to Portland St.......










Robie/Oakland Rd - Georges Island – Woodside (Double Suspension).....









Oakland Rd to Purcells Cove Rd







Robie St to Purcells Cove Rd

[someone123]

Interesting find. Thanks for posting.

These don't really seem like different alternatives to me unless they were thought of as a way to serve newly-developed suburbs. There are the MacKay type options and then the Northwest Arm options.

I think the eventual MacKay alignment was the most attractive of those options.

I still think a Northwest Arm bridge would be good. It's common to hear people talk about how they are so politically infeasible because they will require huge expropriations but the map shows how minimal that disruption would be. Particularly the Robie option, which would be a huge improvement to the transportation network but only affects a few houses.

[Good Baklava]

I think who you buy or expropriate the land from can be as influential as the number of landowners.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

I still think a Northwest Arm bridge would be good. It's common to hear people talk about how they are so politically infeasible because they will require huge expropriations but the map shows how minimal that disruption would be. Particularly the Robie option, which would be a huge improvement to the transportation network but only affects a few houses.

Unfortunately they are some very influential homeowners at that end of Robie. I agree that it would make the most sense, but the amount of political influence to prevent it is large.

In the absence of political will to construct the most logical and needed 3rd bridge option from the South St area across Georges Island to Woodside, something else will need to be built sooner or later. A twinned MacDonald might make some sense although it will not address the connection to arterial highways which is badly needed. But ideally the South St one combined with an Arm bridge at the other end would be seen as necessary.

[worldlyhaligonian]

NW arm bridge makes zero sense... the population is all north of the rotary on the mainland side of the arm and the density is low south of any of the peninsular entry points.

It makes more sense to make Quinpool the major artery to downtown. In fact, it should be impossible to go further south than the Connaught / Quinpool intersection, as that cross traffic simply slows the traffic from getting to downtown (in a straight line) on Quinpool or taking the left onto Quinpool.

[IanMacDonald]

These are really interesting. I wonder how differently somewhere like Eastern Passage would have developed if a crossing from the South End had wound up being built. It also would be fascinating to see how the student community would have migrated around the city differently if a bridge came right next to Saint Mary's like that.

[Franco401]

This is great stuff.

Here's what they'd look like today.













and finally, what I've decided to call the Manhattan Option...

...EVERY bridge gets built. A final total of four harbour crossings, plus a doubled MacDonald.

[ghYHZ]

Originally Posted by Franco401

This is great stuff.

Here's what they'd look like today.

{........}

and finally, what I've decided to call the Manhattan Option...

...EVERY bridge gets built. A final total of four harbour crossings, plus a doubled MacDonald.

No.....THIS is Great Stuff! Thanks for the effort in putting it all together!

[atbw]

Originally Posted by ghYHZ

No.....THIS is Great Stuff! Thanks for the effort in putting it all together!

Agreed! This is super impressive!

[MolteN]

Interesting find! And very good visual renderings Franco!

Of course given our modern desired methods instead of the "Manhattan proposal" a toned down but still effective middle ground is met, I envision that a stone arch bridge at the proposed location A on the northwest arm, or even location B would be very fitting with the character of the neighbourhood and provide a much needed crossing over the arm and relieving the Armdale roundabout. I figure two lanes for general traffic and protected bike and pedestrian pathways would be helpful to encourage active transportation.

Alongside a re-imagined south end crossing, I would personally feel a trench tunnel similar to the Ted Williams in Boston Harbour would make the most sense.

Dredge a line from the industrial lot next to imperial oil terminal at the end of NS111 in Woodside make a thirty degree turn to have it lead up to the parking lot next to Tim Hortons on Barrington Street and a ramp from Marginal Road for the Port truck traffic. Lay down the tunnel in the trench in re-fabricated concrete sections, sink them down, weld them together, pump out the water and bury the tunnel under dirt on the harbour floor. This would not be accessible to pedestrians.

It would be a six lane tunnel with four lanes leading to Barrington and two for Marginal. From Barrington two of the four lanes will be BRT lanes.

The Harbour bridge commission is already looking at a "new" Mackay bridge alongside the existing one that will be six lanes with protected shared bike pedestrian pathways, once completed they would teardown the original "New" bridge built back in 1970.

A twinned Macdonald Bridge would actually be very helpful in relieving congestion and accommodating the planned BRT.

With these hypothesized twinned Macdonald bridges having a combined six lanes, two can be reserved for BRT alongside the already existing cyclist/pedestrian pathway that exists on the OG.

My proposal in summary would consist of four new bridge structures to be built. Increasing the capacity of two existing crossings and building two completely new crossings. It seems fairly modest considering the tens of billions being spent of transportation mega projects around the globe.