The Seal Island Bridge is a bridge located in Victoria County, Nova Scotia. It is the third longest bridge span in the province. The bridge is a through arch design and crosses the Great Bras d'Or channel of Bras d'Or Lake, connecting Boularderie Centre, Boularderie Island on the south side with New Harris, Cape Breton Island on the north side. Construction Construction of the Seal Island Bridge began in 1960 as part of the Trans-Canada Highway project. The bridge, officially known as the Great Bras d'Or Crossing, was completed in 1961 at a cost of $4,652,850. The construction of of approach roads increased the total cost of the project to about $6 million. The bridge is a crucial link in the Trans Canada Highway between Sydney and Baddeck, carrying more than 7,500 vehicles a day in peak periods. The structure carries two traffic lanes of Highway 105 and was originally constructed with a pedestrian sidewalk on each side. The bridge crosses part of the channel on a causeway connecting the north shore of the channel to Seal Island, a small wooded island. The structure consists of eight steel box truss spans, three simply supported approach spans, two simply-supported splay spans, and a three-span continuous main span that consists of two side spans and a centre arch span. The steel structure is supported on tall reinforced concrete piers, armoured with cut stone at the waterline. Closures due to wind Due to the bridge's height and location in a deep valley that can funnel winds, the Seal Island Bridge occasionally is closed to high-sided vehicles such as transport trucks. There have been a number of incidents on the bridge over the years with winds toppling transport trucks. At times these closures can last for a number of hours, causing traffic to back up. RCMP will stop high-sided vehicles at the bridge and inform they cannot cross. At times as many as 15 to 20 transport trucks can be lined up, waiting for conditions to improve so they can make the crossing. Controversy The location of the bridge had proven controversial. It replaced two ferry services crossing the Great Bras d'Or; one at the northeastern end between New Campbellton-Big Bras d'Or, and the other at the southwestern end at Big Harbour-Ross Ferry. For political reasons, it was decided to place the bridge halfway between the two ferry services on account of an outcry