| Stratford, Prince Edward Island |
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Stratford was created in a 1996 amalgamation of several rural villages and communities east of the provincial capital of Charlottetown, including: Located on the opposite bank of the East (Hillsborough) River (a 30 Km long and 1 km wide tidal inlet) from Charlottetown, the communities comprising Stratford were hampered in their development by geography until relatively recently. During the 1800s , a small seasonal passenger ferry service operated between Ferry Point in Southport to a wharf on the Charlottetown waterfront. During the winter months, horse-drawn sleighs would operate directly across the river, if its waters were frozen. In the early 1900s , the Prince Edward Island Railway installed a used iron railway bridge between Charlottetown and Bunbury, which had previously spanned the Southwest Branch of the Miramichi River in New Brunswick . This development saw trains operating between Charlottetown and Murray Harbour , however horse-drawn carriages and sleighs (and later automobiles) were permitted on the span when trains were not operating, although it was only 1-lane wide with wood planks placed between the rails. By the 1950s , trains had abandoned the bridge in favour of another route and the bridge was close to being condemned several times before a new 2-lane highway bridge was built parallel to the railway bridge in the early 1960s as part of the Trans-Canada Highway . Following completion of the new bridge, the communities comprising present-day Stratford began to experience a slow but steady growth, with permanent year-round dwellings beginning to replace the seasonal cottages which fronted the Hillsborough River. By the 1980s , it became apparent that the traffic levels on the new 2-lane Hillsborough River Bridge were surpassing its designed capacity. In 1992 , the federal and provincial governments signed an agreement which saw a "Fixed Link" built between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick; in a related sub-contract, the two governments agreed to have the prime contractor for the Fixed Link (today named Confederation Bridge ) construct an expanded 4-lane Hillsborough River Bridge. The expanded Hillsborough River Bridge was completed in the mid-1990s at around the same time as municipal amalgamation took place. The current town of Stratford is experiencing growth as a result of the improved highway connection to Charlottetown, where most residents work. Such growth is quite modest by most North American standards and includes several new subdivisions, a new highway commercial district, and several municipal buildings including a town hall and community centre. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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