Lake Erie bridges/high-speed ferries ideas

[Stephane Dumas]

I digged the misc.transport.road newsgroup archives and I found these old thread about a Lake Erie Bridge proposal http://groups.google.ca/group/misc.transport.road/browse_thread/thread/8470fbd07f4cb3f/94312f5e4236cd8?hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&q=lake+erie+bridge
http://groups.google.ca/group/misc.transport.road/browse_thread/thread/bb63dc73aed5b3c7/d73c7655c4c95366?hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&q=lake+erie+bridge

I guess some NIMBYS will go havoc about these ideas, but what about high-speed ferries on Lake Erie linking Ontario with OH and PA?

[Terry Shea]

I digged the misc.transport.road newsgroup archives and I found these old thread about a Lake Erie Bridge proposal http://groups.google.ca/group/misc.transport.road/browse_thread/thread/8470fbd07f4cb3f/94312f5e4236cd8?hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&q=lake+erie+bridge
http://groups.google.ca/group/misc.transport.road/browse_thread/thread/bb63dc73aed5b3c7/d73c7655c4c95366?hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&q=lake+erie+bridge

I guess some NIMBYS will go havoc about these ideas, but what about high-speed ferries on Lake Erie linking Ontario with OH and PA?

I don't really see a need for a bridge or ferry service.  There simply aren't any real population centers on the north side of Lake Erie.  I don't know where these google group posters are getting their figures from, but they're clearly wrong!  It was posted that such a bridge would save 60-65 miles going from Cleveland to Detroit.  Huh?  According to the mileage chart at the back of the 2010 Rand McNally Atlas it's 172 miles from Cleveland to Detroit via Toledo.  It's 134 miles from London to Detroit and the bridge would connect on the Canadian side about 20 miles south of London at Port Stanley.  The bridge would be 47 miles long and the connecting freeway would no doubt run about due north and connect at or near the 401/402 interchange.  So basically from Cleveland to Detroit via the proposed bridge you'd be looking at about a 200 mile drive with 2 border crossings as opposed to 172 mile drive with no border crossings.  I think they left the length of the bridge and the connecting route out of their calculations.  It would save about 100 miles from Cleveland to Toronto, but at what cost?  I can't believe such a bridge could even be built and would have to be shut down during much, if not all, of the winter.  It would be very expensive to build and maintain and it would still be a long drive to or from the population centers of Canada.

Likewise I can't see ferry service working in this area.  If you're going from Cleveland to Toronto via a proposed ferry you're still going to have long drive thru heavy traffic once you get off the ferry.  Even "high speed" ferries don't go nearly as fast as cars so you wouldn't be gaining much time wise and you'd be losing a lot money wise unless gas jumps up to $15/gallon or so.

So I don't really see any reason to build a bridge or start up ferry service because it would basically be a bridge or a ferry to nowhere.

[Chris]

They have a word for this in Dutch: "sky cycling". It means an idea that's without any reality. 

[mightyace]

They have a word for this in Dutch: "sky cycling". It means an idea that's without any reality. 

IMHO Another phrase for an idea that's without any reality is "politician's promise!"   

P.S. And, IMHO that applies to all political parties and ideologies.

[sonysnob]

^ The Rochester to Toronto Ferry the Seabreeze didn't fair to well either.

[vdeane]

It would have if commercial vehicles were allowed to use it, but somebody forgot (or was unwilling) to figure out how to get the trucks through customs on a ferry.  We're still losing money on it because the port still has to be fully staffed due to a tug boat that passes through the area.  At least the businesses in the port are still doing well.

[Michael in Philly]

I was on the Ohio Turnpike two days ago and saw a sign reading "Lorain Ferry" - old sign? new service?  There's nothing in the Rand McNally.

[Lightning Strike]

it's a ferry service for the islands of Lake Erie and Put-In-Bay

[surferdude]

I am not aware of any proposals or any talk of placing a bridge over Lake Erie, while it is the shallowest of the great lakes, but it is not feasable.  Besides it would not be Erie, PA it would be east of Erie in North East ,PA to Long Point, Canada.  Where it is 32 miles from shore to shore I a little too far since there are some big great lake ships going through.  The cost would be more than some countries GNP.  I do not see PA and Canada foooting the bill for this. And I work for PennDOT in  Erie County.