Lennox Passage (waterway)

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Lennox Passage
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Lennox Passage
Lennox Passage in Nova Scotia
Location Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Coordinates 45°34′54″N61°05′12″W / 45.58167°N 61.08667°W / 45.58167; -61.08667
Type Strait
Part ofAtlantic ocean
Max. length10 nautical miles (19 km)

Lennox Passage is a navigable waterway between Cape Breton Island and Isle Madame in Nova Scotia, Canada. [1] [2] Small craft use the relatively protected Passage (also correctly referred to as a strait) traveling to and from St. Peters Canal at the village of St. Peter's and the Strait of Canso to avoid sailing around the east coast of Cape Breton in the open Atlantic Ocean.

Contents

The Passage is approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) in length from MacDonalds Shoal (near Janvrin Island) to Ouetique Island near D'Escousse with depths varying from 3 to 20 metres. The Passage is well-buoyed and marine interests should be aware that eastbound vessels leave the green buoys to starboard while making their way towards St. Peter's.

Lennox Passage Swing Bridge in 1936 1936 Lennox Passage Swing Bridge.jpg
Lennox Passage Swing Bridge in 1936

Bridging the passage

Chartlet of Chedabucto Bay, Lennox Passage, Lennox Passage Bridge and Isle Madame, Nova Scotia, Canada Chedabucto bay and area.png
Chartlet of Chedabucto Bay, Lennox Passage, Lennox Passage Bridge and Isle Madame, Nova Scotia, Canada

Initially crossed by two ferries, (one from the present location of the bridge and one from Grandique Point to Grandique Ferry), construction of a swing bridge began in 1916 and was completed in 1919, connecting Isle Madame to Cape Breton. This bridge was horse-operated and according to Canadian yachtsman and author Silver Donald Cameron, a former resident of D'Escousse) in his book "Wind, whales and whisky" (page 14), was powered by Stanley Forgeron's rather temperamental horse in 1967 when Farley Mowat sailed through the passage aboard Happy Adventure on his way to Expo67.

In February 1970 following the grounding and subsequent breakup of the Liberian-registered tanker Arrow [3] [4] on Cerberus Rock in Chedabucto Bay and the resulting spill of 77,000 to 82,500 barrels (more than 2 million gallons) [5] of bunker C oil, the decision was made by the Nova Scotia Government to construct two causeways between Burnt Point and Burnt Island [6] to stop the spread of the Arrow's spilled cargo into the lucrative fishing areas of the Passage as well as the coastline to the east.

Lennox Passage Bridge (from the east) in 2011 20110812 Lennox Passage Lift (Bascule) Bridge 1.jpg
Lennox Passage Bridge (from the east) in 2011

After the oil spill cleanup by the mid-1970s, the Government left one causeway in place because the 1919 bridge had rusted beyond repair and in response to the needs of marine interests built the Lennox Passage Bridge, a four-span, 98.5 metres (323 ft) bascule bridge with two concrete spans, a counterweight span and an electrically powered single-leaf bascule bridge carrying Nova Scotia Route 320. [7]

When closed, the bridge has a vertical clearance of 5.5 metres (18 ft) at high tide, [8] possibly as much as 7.3 metres (24 ft) at a very low tide. [9]

Bridge inoperable

Beginning in 2010, marine interests were advised that the heat of the day in summer months may make it impossible for the bridge operator to lift the span, forcing vessels to either wait at anchor or make the voyage around the east coast of Isle Madame. The Nova Scotia Government advised the public that repairs to the structure were scheduled as an ongoing project beginning in 2015–2016. [10]

By 2018 the repairs had still not been carried out and it was announced that the Lennox Bridge was inoperable and pleasure craft with an air draft of over 5.5 metres (18 ft) at high tide [8] [9] would not be able to pass through. [11]

In the fall of 2018 a tender to repair the lift bridge at Lennox Passage was awarded at a cost of $4.54 million to Allsteel Coatings Ltd. of Port Hastings. [12] [7] The work had been scaled back slightly from the original vision after the only bid came back more expensive than anticipated. [12]

In 2019 a Navigational Warning was issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada advising the air draft under the Lennox Passage bridge was reduced to 10 feet (3.3 metres) at high tide until September 5, 2019. [13]

In August 2019 in an interview, Lloyd Hall, district bridge engineer with Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, explained while it was originally hoped the work would conclude in time for the bridge to reopen for the 2019 boating season, the work now isn't expected to be finished until mid- to late-October 2019. [12]

In September 2019, the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure renewal announced that the bridge would be open for the 2020 boating season. [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Breton Island</span> Island in Nova Scotia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canso Causeway</span> Causeway connecting Cape Breton Island with mainland Nova Scotia

The Canso Causeway is a 1,385 m (4,544 ft) rock-fill causeway crossing the Strait of Canso, connecting Cape Breton Island by road to the Nova Scotia peninsula. Its crest thickness is 40 m (130 ft), carrying the two vehicle traffic lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway, Nova Scotia Highway 104 on the mainland side, and Nova Scotia Highway 105 on the Cape Breton side, as well as the single track mainline of the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strait of Canso</span> Strait in Nova Scotia, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peters Canal</span> Canal in Nova Scotia, Canada

The St. Peters Canal is a small shipping canal located in eastern Canada on Cape Breton Island. It crosses an isthmus in the village of St. Peter's, Nova Scotia which connects St. Peters Inlet of Bras d'Or Lake to the north with St. Peters Bay of the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

Isle Madame is an island off southeastern Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. It is part of the Municipality of the County of Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nova Scotia Highway 105</span> Highway in Nova Scotia

Highway 105 in Nova Scotia represents the Cape Breton Island leg of the Trans-Canada Highway. It runs from the Port Hastings Rotary just east of the Canso Causeway in Port Hastings to the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal in North Sydney, representing a distance of 142 kilometres (88 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mira River (Nova Scotia)</span> River in Nova Scotia, Canada

The Mira River is a Canadian river located in eastern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulgrave, Nova Scotia</span> Town in Nova Scotia, Canada

Mulgrave is a town on the Strait of Canso in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Located along the Marine Drive, Route 344 traverses the community. The town's current name was adopted in 1859 to honour the colonial Lieutenant Governor, the Earl of Mulgrave. Lying opposite to the town of Port Hawkesbury, the community is located along the western shore of the Canso Strait. It was established as McNair's Cove in the early 19th century, and the name Port Mulgrave was adopted in 1859, later shortening to its current form. The early industry of the community relied on ferry service between the Nova Scotia mainland and Cape Breton Island. Ferry service began in the 1810s and rail service reached the area in the 1880s. The ferry services lasted until the opening of the Canso Causeway in 1955, dealing a major blow to the local economy. As of 2016, Mulgrave has a population of 722 and a population density of 40.5/km2 (104.9/sq mi), within an area of 17.83 km2 (6.88 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nova Scotia Trunk 19</span>

Trunk 19 is part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia's system of trunk highways. The road runs from Port Hastings to a junction with the Cabot Trail at Margaree Forks on Cape Breton Island, a distance of 107 kilometres (66 mi). Most of the route is known as the Ceilidh Trail.

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Route 320 is a collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

Grandique Ferry is a former community in Richmond County, Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barra Strait</span> Channel in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

The Barra Strait is a 1.22 km (0.76 mi) wide channel located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It connects the northern and southern basins of Bras d'Or Lake, an inland saltwater body that dominates the centre of Cape Breton Island. The border between two of Cape Breton Island's counties runs through the strait; the community of Grand Narrows, in Cape Breton County, is situated on the eastern shore while the community of Iona, in Victoria County is situated on the western shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Narrows Bridge</span> Canadian railway bridge

The Grand Narrows Bridge is a Canadian railway bridge crossing between Victoria County, Nova Scotia, and Cape Breton County. At 516.33 m (1,694 ft), it is the longest railroad bridge in the province. The bridge incorporates a swing span at its eastern end to permit the continued passage of marine traffic through the strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennox Passage Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Nova Scotia, Canada

Lennox Passage Provincial Park is a small picnic and beach park on the shores of Lennox Passage on the North Shore of Isle Madame on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, with 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of shoreline, an operating lighthouse and site of a former post office, ferry terminal and two limestone quarries. Visitors can picnic at tables scattered through a forest and open areas, enjoy the 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of trails, or explore the working lighthouse. In summer the park offers swimming, kayaking, and biking opportunities. There are snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities in the winter, however parking is available at the gate only in the off-season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grandique Point Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

Grandique Point Lighthouse is an aid to navigation for Lennox Passage, which is the channel of water between the southern shore of Cape Breton Island and Isle Madame, Nova Scotia, Canada. The lighthouse is located on the beach at Grandique Point in Lennox Passage Provincial Park and is accessible by a gravel road within the provincial park. The site is open to the public, the tower is closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barra Strait Bridge</span> Canadian bascule road bridge

The Barra Strait Bridge is a Canadian road bridge crossing the Barra Strait of Bras d'Or Lake, carrying Nova Scotia Route 223 between Iona, Victoria County, on the West side, and Grand Narrows, Cape Breton County on the east side. The bridge incorporates a double leaf bascule section at its eastern end to permit the continued passage of marine traffic through the strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipality of the County of Inverness</span> County municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada

The Municipality of the County of Inverness is a county municipality on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It provides local government to about 17,000 residents of the historical county of the same name, except for the incorporated town of Port Hawkesbury and the Whycocomagh 2 Miꞌkmaq reserve, both of which are enclaves. Public services are provided in the areas of recreation, tourism, administration, finance, and public works.

References

  1. "Maritime Boating.com". Archived from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  2. "Purchase charts for navigational use". 2019-07-11.
  3. Nova Scotia.ca museum
  4. greenislandlighthouse.com
  5. "SupSalv.org page 5 of 114" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  6. "Lennox Passage causeways built between Burnt Point and Burnt Island Fig. 40 page 101 of 114" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  7. 1 2 boudrot, John (20 August 2019). "Timeline for repairs extended, cost increase for Lennox Passage Bridge". The Port Hawksbury Reporter. Advocate Media. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  8. 1 2 Chisholm, Allan P., P.Eng., NSLS, Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal A/Eastern District Bridge Engineer. Lennox Passage Bridge (Report).{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. 1 2 Boudrot, Jake (2018-05-30). "Yacht Club Concerned With Condition of Lennox Passage Lift Bridge". Port Hawkesbury Reporter. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  10. N.S. Govt. 5-year plan details
  11. Martin, Wendy. "Broken bridge could send pleasure boats away from Bras d'Or Lake". CBC News. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 King, Nancy (15 August 2019). "Lennox Passage bridge repairs more extensive than anticipated". Cape Breton Post. SaltWire Network. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  13. "Air draft under Lennox Passage reduced to 10ft at high tide". Navigational Warnings (NAVWARNs). Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  14. Boudrot, Jake (18 September 2019). "DTIR expects bridge to be open for boaters next year". Port Hawkesbury Reporter. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  15. King, Nancy (3 December 2019). "Lennox Passage bridge completed but overbudget". Cape Breton Post. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
Notes

Further reading