Carney slashes tolls for Canada's longest bridge | Daily Hive

Canada's longest bridge gets major toll cut as Carney slashes Confederation Bridge fees

Confederation Bridge. (MollieGPhoto/Shutterstock)

In a major move to improve affordability and interprovincial connectivity, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced today that tolls on the Confederation Bridge and fares for federally supported interprovincial ferry routes in Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec will be significantly reduced starting at the end of this week.

This fulfills the federal Liberal Party’s election promise to reduce tolls on Canada’s longest bridge — a vital crossing that Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) residents and its economy heavily rely on. It also aligns with the broader strategy to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers, promote the movement of goods and services within Canada, and support domestic economic growth.

During the election campaign, the federal Conservative party pledged to completely remove tolls.

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Beginning on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, through new federal subsidies to cover a large portion of the operations and maintenance costs, the Confederation Bridge toll for all vehicles will be cut from over $50 to $20.

In addition, fares on key Eastern Canada ferry routes will be slashed by 50 per cent for passengers, vehicles, and commercial traffic. Marine Atlantic — which operates the constitutionally required ferry service between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia — will also receive federal funding to similarly cut fares by half for passengers and vehicles, while commercial freight rates will be frozen.

“Canada’s new government is on a mission to bring down costs and build one strong Canadian economy,” said Carney in a statement today.

“By cutting tolls on the Confederation Bridge and fares on ferries in Atlantic Canada, Canadians and businesses will save millions of dollars. That means more travel and trade between provinces, a stronger, more united economy, and more prosperity and opportunity for Canadians.”

confederation bridge prince edward island pei f

Confederation Bridge. (OnePony/Shutterstock)

With a length of nearly 13 km across the Northumberland Strait, this is the only fixed link that connects Prince Edward Island with the Canadian mainland. Ever since it opened in 1997, all users of the two-lane bridge have had to pay a toll on the crossing.

According to the federal government, the bridge handles about 90 per cent to 95 per cent of the passenger and commercial traffic to and from P.E.I. In 2024, the bridge recorded a total of more than 990,000 vehicles.

The various ferry routes under Eastern Canada Ferry Services saw over 531,000 passengers, more than 200,000 passenger vehicles, and nearly 20,000 commercial vehicles in 2024. As for Marine Atlantic, it transports nearly 65 per cent of the goods to and from Newfoundland.

The federal government owns the bridge, but its construction in the 1990s was carried out as a public-private partnership. In addition to the construction project, the federal government provides the toll revenue to Strait Crossing Development to cover operating, maintenance, and other costs associated with the consortium.

However, this 33-year concession agreement for the design, build, and operation will end in 2032, at which point the federal government could assume responsibility for operating and maintaining the bridge.

Confederation Bridge. (Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock)

Confederation Bridge. (Mircia Costina/Shutterstock)

The bridge, a segment of Highway 1, is one of Canada’s most notable feats of engineering.

Construction took place in just under four years and at a cost of $1.3 billion ($2.5 billion in 2025 dollars).

Its design is made possible by the strait’s relatively shallow waters of up to 35 metres (115 ft), with 62 piers sitting on the bedrock seabed of the strait. These piers were also specifically engineered to withstand the strait’s exceptionally strong tidal currents, storm wave action, high winds, and the sheer force of moving sheets of ice each winter season. It is one of the world’s longest bridges of its kind, with a multi-span balanced cantilevered design and a post-tensioned concrete box girder structure.

Most of the bridge deck is 40 metres (131 ft) above water, enabling ships to pass through. A taller 60-metre (197 ft) span provides extra clearance for taller ships.

While the bridge goes across a great expanse, the views while driving (particularly for small cars) can be limited. The two vehicle lanes — one lane in each direction — are protected by tall concrete barriers on either side of the bridge deck to protect vehicles and cyclists from the strait’s high winds. When steady winds of over 70 km/h and gusts of 85 km/h are recorded, the bridge is temporarily closed.

Each trip across the bridge takes roughly 10 minutes, with a speed limit of 80 km/h in optimal weather conditions.

P.E.I. is the smallest province in terms of both land area and population, with about 179,000 people living on the island as of early this year.

Confederation Bridge. (Gareth Janzen/Shutterstock)

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