PEI Trans-Canada Highway Route: from Moncton, NB over the Confederation Bridge between Cape Tourmantine, NB and Borden-Carleton, PEI and along PEI #1 to Charlottetown
Here is the itinerary for the 168 km from Moncton, NB over the Confederation Bridge between Cape Tourmantine, NB and Borden-Carleton, PEI to Charlottetown:
The area east of Moncton (on the north side of the Petitcodiac) & Dieppe (on the south side of the Petitcodiac) are part of the Tantramar eco-zone. The name Tantramar comes from French for loud noise Trantimarre, referring to the noise from large flocks of birds in the area, and migrating through it. The area, after early deforestation, has been stunted by Fundy fogs and winds. You will also pass an area of drumlins (teardrop-shaped sand & Gravel deposits left behind by glaciers as they receded) beside the Peticodiac River.
East of Sackville you enter the Tantramar Marshes, where dykes built by early Acadian settlers in 1686 hold back the sea and build lush farmlands on the recovered land. To fertilize the land, the settlers occasionally let the sea flood the land. The settlement here grew to over a thousand people, and was defended by Fort Beausejour (just inside present-day Nova Scotia). The fort was taken by the English in 1755 and the Acadians were resettled around Memramcook and Dorchester. You will also notice a set of high antennas, on Coles Island eat of Sackville, which are used by CBC Radio International for their overseas shortwave broadcasts. By anchoring them in salty marshy ground, it was believed the electrical ground would improve signal transmission.
The predominant red colour of the island's soils and sands is due to iron oxide in the sediments laid down 250-300 million years ago. Following the last Ice Age, water levels rose to create three smaller islands, but as land rebounded without the weight of glaciers, the islands joined into one larger one. European settlement over the past few centuries has replaced forests of pine, maple, hemlock, and beech with open fields goring potatoes, grain, and cattle. When the forests were lost to the shipbuilding industry, the province also lost its bear and caribou population. The rolling hills of the southern half of the Island, sheltered from the harsh winds of the Gulf, support intensive agriculture.
The rich tidal estuaries, where fresh and saltwater mix, make the province a rich environment for shellfish, and the waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait are rich in code, mackerel, tuna and lobster. The famed red Cavendish cliffs on the north shore at the Island's centre erode at about 5 metres (15 feet) per year.
The Confederation Bridge, replaced a ferry that has served the ferry connecting Cape Tourmantine and Cape Traverse (Borden-Carleton) that has been running since 1827. Drivers only pay tolls on the way to the Mainland. So tourists can save money by taking the Bridge to PEI (2007:$41 on way to mainland) and the Woods Island Ferry (2007:$59 per car, either direction) from PEI rather than the other way around. http://www.confederationbridge.com/en/ and http://www.peiferry.com/fares/
The Bonshaw Hills rise 130 metres (400 feet) above sea levels, and are made of sandstone and shale and remain covered by forests because their hilly nature makes it less suitable for agriculture.
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Exit #467/#19a Junction Highways #15 & #2. W to City of Moncton 8 km. NE to Shediac(12 km). SE to town of Sackville (37 km), Province of Prince Edward Island.
Exit #513b Junction of Trans Canada Highway #16 East on highway #16 (The Acadian Trail Scenic Route) to Province of Prince Edward Island (52 km), via the Confederation Bridge. Services at highway
Exit 47 Highway #955 E to town of Bayfield (1 km), town of Cape Tourmantine (3 km), W to town of Muray Corner (15 km) and Murray Beach Provincial Park (16 km)
Confederaton Bridge on-ramp. 13 km to New Brunswick; toll in Southbound direction. W view of Nonans Marsh, E access to Borden-Carleton, Borden Point Lighthouse, Amhearst Point Lighthouse.
Junction of Hwy 248 N Milton Station (6 km) and Hunter River (17 km); Royal Park Country Inn, S along York Point Rd to York Point (4 km), , and Fort Amherst National Historic Park, W to accommodation, services
