The Little Current Swing Bridge is a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

in the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

province of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, located at the community of Little Current in the town of

Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands is a municipality with town status in Manitoulin District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, approximately south of Espanola. Its main town is Little Current, located on the northeast side of Manitoulin I ...

Design

The bridge carries

Highway 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * AH6 (highway), Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * :de:Nationalstraße 6 (Albanien), National Road SH6 Argentina * P ...

(formerly Highway 68) across a narrow

channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...

separating

Manitoulin Island Manitoulin Island ( ) is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia (bioregion), Laurentia. With an area of , it is the Lake ...

from the much smaller Goat Island, forming the only land access. It consists of two 21 m (70 ft) deck plate girder approaches on the north end (Goat Island) and a single 18 m (60 ft) deck plate girder approach on the south end (Manitoulin Island), with a 112 m (368 ft) through swing bridge span. The swing bridge sits 5.3 m (17.5 ft) above mean water level, and provides a 48 m (160 ft) opening on either side of the central pier for water passage. The width of the bridge is 15’1” for loads.

Construction and operation

Construction of the bridge was started by the

Algoma Eastern Railway The Algoma Eastern Railway was a railway in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Manitoulin and North Shore Railway (M&NS) with a charter dating back to 1888, the full mainline was opened to traffic in 1913, serving the area al ...

with the abutments and piers being built in 1912 and the bridge structure being erected in 1913. The Algoma Eastern Railway began operating trains across the bridge to the community of Little Current in October 1913. The Algoma Eastern Railway was leased by

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

(CPR) in March 1930 and control of the bridge passed at this time to the CPR. Due to navigable waters protection legislation, the CPR policy was to leave the bridge's swing span in the open position at all times for marine traffic, except when a train needed to cross. In 1946, the CPR and the provincial Department of Highways of Ontario came to an agreement that saw the bridge modified to permit road vehicle traffic in addition to rail traffic. As a result, operation of the swing span saw the span left in the closed position to permit both rail and road vehicle traffic to cross, although a CPR employee was stationed at the bridge to open the swing span should it be required for marine traffic. Little Current Swing Bridge Ontario

Rail service to Little Current and Manitoulin Island was abandoned by CPR in the 1980s; the end of tracks then being located at a ship-loading facility in

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters * Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for tur ...

on the Goat Island side of the bridge. As a result, CPR transferred ownership of the bridge to the Ministry of Transportation and it has been used exclusively by road vehicle traffic ever since. CPR subsequently abandoned rail service from Espanola to Turner in the 1990s and removed the tracks, leaving only the railway bed and bridge structures such as the Little Current Swing Bridge as a reminder of Manitoulin Island's rail transportation heritage. Currently, operation of the swing span strongly favours highway traffic, as it stays in the closed position so that road vehicles can use it except for the first fifteen minutes of each daylight hour during the spring, summer and fall when it opens to permit marine traffic to pass. At night in the spring, summer, and fall as well as when the shipping channel is closed to marine traffic during the winter, the swing span remains in the closed position at all times. Originally powered by a gasoline engine, the mechanism for the swing span was upgraded by the Ministry of Transportation to an electric motor in 2003. Due to the single vehicle lane, each end of the bridge is equipped with

traffic signals Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...

(7 lights northbound and 2 lights southbound); the signals on the Little Current abutment being the only installation of traffic signals on Manitoulin Island. From mid-October to early May when the ferry '' MS Chi-Cheemaun'' is not in operation to carry passengers from the

Bruce Peninsula The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southwestern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, wi ...

, the bridge is the only road link to Manitoulin Island. The bridge has been designated an Ontario Heritage site. Studies for a replacement began in 2018, as the bridge's mechanics have been failing and its steel deteriorating. The preferred option, announced in 2021, will see a new two-lane swing bridge built just west of the existing bridge.

Images

File:Open bridge (Cropped).jpg, Little Current Swing Bridge (open position) looking east, from Town Dock, 2006 File:Little Current swing bridge (closed).jpg, Little Current Swing Bridge (closed position) looking east, from Town Dock File:Little Current Swing Bridge construction crew.jpg, Group photo of the construction crew around the time of completion

References

External links

{{Commons category, Little Current swing bridge
Little Current Swing Bridge at the Algoma Eastern Railway history site

Google maps image
Algoma Eastern Railway Swing bridges in Canada Transport in Manitoulin District Rail transport in Manitoulin District Bridges completed in 1913 Road bridges in Ontario Historic buildings and structures in Ontario Buildings and structures in Manitoulin District Railway bridges in Ontario Canadian Pacific Railway bridges in Ontario Former railway bridges in Canada 1913 establishments in Ontario Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands

Design

Construction and operation

Images

See also

References

External links