Response of Two Piers on Confederation Bridge to Ice Loading Event of April 4, 2003

A large piece of shore fast ice approximately 5 by 10 km broke free and drifted through Northumberland Strait on April 4 2003, failing against the piers of the Confederation Bridge. The ice had been surveyed shortly before its break-up and its thickness was about 1 m with many ridges of about 4 m thick when averaged over a 20-m diameter. While the ice was quite thick, it was late in the season and thus soft resulting in the maximum force determined on the two piers only in the order of 2 MN. Hand held videos of the episode provided an overview of the ice failure processes observed.