Ponderosapine210: /* See also */
[[File:The Big Muddy, Western Edition (6987590721).jpg|thumb|right|300px|A fixed link between [[Vancouver Island]] and the [[Lower Mainland]] will likely utilize one or more of the northern [[Gulf Islands]]]]
The '''Vancouver Island fixed link''' is any of various proposals for constructing a [[fixed link]] consisting of [[bridge]]s, [[tunnel]]s, and/or [[causeway]]s across the [[Strait of Georgia]], connecting [[Vancouver Island]] to the [[Lower Mainland]] of [[British Columbia]]. This strait has a minimum width of 19.4 km (12.05 mi) between [[Galiano Island]] and [[Tsawwassen ferry terminal|Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal]].<ref name=PFL>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
==History==
The controversial idea has existed since 1872Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2) of a bridge connecting Vancouver Island to the British Columbia mainland. The first idea was to cross [[Seymour Narrows]] (which is farther north than the end of the Strait of Georgia) at [[Menzies Bay (British Columbia)|Menzies Bay]] with a rail bridge for the then-proposed Canadian Pacific Railway to link Victoria, via Bute Inlet and the Yellowhead Pass, with the rest of Canada. Later proposals have focussed on bridging the Strait of Georgia itself, which is much wider than Seymour Narrows.
==Feasibility==
Various studies were conducted throughout the 1980s and 1990s to assess the feasibility of constructing a fixed link between [[Vancouver Island]] and the [[Lower Mainland]] across the strait. Proposals varied greatly in length and utilized one or more of the northern [[Gulf Islands]] as an anchorage point. Fixed link designs included a [[bored tunnel]], [[submerged floating tunnel]], [[Pontoon bridge|floating bridge]], and [[cable-stayed bridge]].<ref name=PFL/>
Challenges to establishing a fixed link include the presence of large cargo ships in the area, the depth of the Georgia Strait (up to 365 m deep), the depth of soft sediments found on the ocean bed (up to 450 m thick), potential marine slope instabilities along the eastern side of the strait, extreme wave conditions (4-7 m waves, with 6 m tides and 2-knot current), extreme wind speeds (up to 115 km/h with gusts up to 180 km/h), seasonal fog, snow and ice accumulation on the structure, and the high seismic activity of the region. There are no fixed bridges or tunnels in existence today that would meet these challenging conditions.<ref name=PFL/>
==Arguments==
Proponents of the bridge argue that a reliable link to Vancouver Island from mainland British Columbia will increase tourism and growth on Vancouver Island. Opponents argue that the construction of a bridge will result in further [[urbanization]] of the island and that the area's environment will be negatively affected by construction and the increase in tourism. Other potential problems are the width and depth of the strait and the soft consistency of the strait floor, as well as high [[seismology|seismic activity]] in the Vancouver Island region, and the fact that the strait is heavily used as a navigation channel. The strait is far deeper than any bridged body of water in the world.Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)
Former B.C. cabinet minister [[Patrick McGeer|Dr. Patrick McGeer]], a research neuroscientist and a science advocate has repeatedly advanced the proposal in recent decades. In a CKNW<!--CKWX?--> news item broadcast in August 2008, McGeer said he thinks the idea just needs "a visionary politician" to support it. McGeer still has the conceptual model of the bridge that was displayed at [[Expo 86]].Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2) The idea has formal opposition in the form of an [[Islands Trust]] policy banning the building of any bridges or tunnels connecting the Gulf Islands to the Mainland or Vancouver Island.<ref>[https://ift.tt/3cleqWn Islands Trust Policy Statement], section 5.3.2</ref>
==See also==
*[[Newfoundland–Labrador fixed link]]
*[[Strait of Gibraltar crossing]]
==References==
[[Category:Transport in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Proposed undersea tunnels in North America]]
[[Category:Proposed transport infrastructure in Canada]]
The '''Vancouver Island fixed link''' is any of various proposals for constructing a [[fixed link]] consisting of [[bridge]]s, [[tunnel]]s, and/or [[causeway]]s across the [[Strait of Georgia]], connecting [[Vancouver Island]] to the [[Lower Mainland]] of [[British Columbia]]. This strait has a minimum width of 19.4 km (12.05 mi) between [[Galiano Island]] and [[Tsawwassen ferry terminal|Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal]].<ref name=PFL>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
==History==
The controversial idea has existed since 1872Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2) of a bridge connecting Vancouver Island to the British Columbia mainland. The first idea was to cross [[Seymour Narrows]] (which is farther north than the end of the Strait of Georgia) at [[Menzies Bay (British Columbia)|Menzies Bay]] with a rail bridge for the then-proposed Canadian Pacific Railway to link Victoria, via Bute Inlet and the Yellowhead Pass, with the rest of Canada. Later proposals have focussed on bridging the Strait of Georgia itself, which is much wider than Seymour Narrows.
==Feasibility==
Various studies were conducted throughout the 1980s and 1990s to assess the feasibility of constructing a fixed link between [[Vancouver Island]] and the [[Lower Mainland]] across the strait. Proposals varied greatly in length and utilized one or more of the northern [[Gulf Islands]] as an anchorage point. Fixed link designs included a [[bored tunnel]], [[submerged floating tunnel]], [[Pontoon bridge|floating bridge]], and [[cable-stayed bridge]].<ref name=PFL/>
Challenges to establishing a fixed link include the presence of large cargo ships in the area, the depth of the Georgia Strait (up to 365 m deep), the depth of soft sediments found on the ocean bed (up to 450 m thick), potential marine slope instabilities along the eastern side of the strait, extreme wave conditions (4-7 m waves, with 6 m tides and 2-knot current), extreme wind speeds (up to 115 km/h with gusts up to 180 km/h), seasonal fog, snow and ice accumulation on the structure, and the high seismic activity of the region. There are no fixed bridges or tunnels in existence today that would meet these challenging conditions.<ref name=PFL/>
==Arguments==
Proponents of the bridge argue that a reliable link to Vancouver Island from mainland British Columbia will increase tourism and growth on Vancouver Island. Opponents argue that the construction of a bridge will result in further [[urbanization]] of the island and that the area's environment will be negatively affected by construction and the increase in tourism. Other potential problems are the width and depth of the strait and the soft consistency of the strait floor, as well as high [[seismology|seismic activity]] in the Vancouver Island region, and the fact that the strait is heavily used as a navigation channel. The strait is far deeper than any bridged body of water in the world.Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)
Former B.C. cabinet minister [[Patrick McGeer|Dr. Patrick McGeer]], a research neuroscientist and a science advocate has repeatedly advanced the proposal in recent decades. In a CKNW<!--CKWX?--> news item broadcast in August 2008, McGeer said he thinks the idea just needs "a visionary politician" to support it. McGeer still has the conceptual model of the bridge that was displayed at [[Expo 86]].Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2) The idea has formal opposition in the form of an [[Islands Trust]] policy banning the building of any bridges or tunnels connecting the Gulf Islands to the Mainland or Vancouver Island.<ref>[https://ift.tt/3cleqWn Islands Trust Policy Statement], section 5.3.2</ref>
==See also==
*[[Newfoundland–Labrador fixed link]]
*[[Strait of Gibraltar crossing]]
==References==
[[Category:Transport in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Proposed undersea tunnels in North America]]
[[Category:Proposed transport infrastructure in Canada]]
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