Connecting the Islands: Pool’s Island Bailey Bridge

Abstract

New-Wes-Valley is a small community on the northern end of Bonavista Bay. The municipality is composed of eight original villages, and spans a 15 kilometre stretch of the coast. The area’s history dates back to the 18th century, with settlers living on many of the small islands in the area. Permanent settlements began in the early 19th century. In the 20th century, resettlement to the mainland began, with further island resettlement occurring as late as 1953. Pool’s Island was first settled as a village on the route to the Labrador seal fishery. Some say it was the settlement of Pool’s Island, and its expanding population, that lead to the development of the nearby communities of Badger’s Quay and Valleyfield. It was not until 1953 however, that a single-lane Bailey bridge was constructed to connect Pool’s Island and Badger’s Quay. Current day settlements in New-Wes-Valley are fully accessible by roads, but still span at least eleven islands, in addition to the mainland portion of the community. While each of these islands are now connected by bridge or by causeway, it was not until 1981 that the coastline was fully connected, and most roads were paved. This case study will look at the social and economic impacts of connecting communities by roads. The bridge to Pool’s Island will be studied specifically, and a discussion of connecting other inhabited islands around the province’s coast will be presented.