Halifax and Southwestern Railway
Encyclopedia
The Halifax and Southwestern Railway was a historic Canadian
railway
operating in the province of Nova Scotia
. The H&SW was created in spring 1901 when William Mackenzie
and Donald Mann
approached the provincial government with plans to finish the abortive plans for a railway from Halifax
to Yarmouth
along the province's South Shore
. For many years, the line had significant curvature throughout its length, a result of the rugged local topography, which earned it the moniker, Hellish Slow & Wobbly.
The Nova Scotia Central Railway (NSCR) had opened its line between Middleton
in the Annapolis Valley
and Lunenburg, by way of Bridgewater
, on December 23, 1889.
In 1893, the Coast Railway Company of Nova Scotia was incorporated under a charter to build a narrow gauge line between Yarmouth and Lockeport
, by way of Barrington
and Shelburne
. Construction took place very slowly and what little trackage had been already built was converted to standard gauge
in 1895. In 1899 the company was renamed the Halifax and Yarmouth Railway (H&YR) and received a new charter to build east from Lockeport to Liverpool
, Bridgewater and Halifax. By 1903 the line had barely reached Barrington.
The Liverpool and Milton Tramway also built a short railway up the Mersey River
valley between Liverpool and a pulp mill near Milton
in Queens County in 1896, opening on February 1, 1897. It was renamed the Liverpool and Milton Railway (L&MR) in 1900.
The H&SW was created in spring 1901 when Mackenzie and Mann approached the provincial government with plans to finish the abortive plans for a railway from the City of Halifax to Yarmouth. Experienced railway engineers, MacKenzie and Mann already owned 2,000 miles in track in Canada by this time. On July 1, 1902, the H&SW purchased the NSCR with its line from Mahone Bay
to Bridgewater, forming part of the new mainline between Bridgewater and Halifax. The new construction between Halifax and Mahone Bay was completed by 1904.
On April 11, 1903, the H&SW purchased the Nova Scotia Southern Railway (NSSR). The NSSR had no trackage constructed, however it did have a charter to build from the NSCR at New Germany
to Caledonia
in what was rich timber territory. Upon acquiring the NSSR charter, the H&SW built the 22 miles of track over the following months, with the first train reaching Caledonia on July 1, 1904.
In April 1905, the H&SW purchased the L&MR, with a short section of that line forming part of the main line between Bridgewater and Barrington. The new construction between Bridgewater and Barrington was completed later that year. In 1905, the H&SW also purchased the H&YR with major upgrades being done to this line between Barrington and Yarmouth over the next year.
Also in 1905, the H&SW purchased the charter for the unbuilt Middleton and Victoria Beach Railway (M&VBR) in the western Annapolis Valley. The 40 mile M&VBR line was opened by the H&SW to connect an iron ore mine at Torbrook
, near Middleton on the NSCR, with port facilities at Port Wade
on Annapolis Basin
.
(CNoR) transcontinental system. The H&SW, along with the Inverness Railway, were isolated from the rest of CNoR's trackage which ran from Montreal to Vancouver, not unlike rival Canadian Pacific Railway
's Dominion Atlantic Railway
. T
CNoR, along with several other railway lines in Canada, entered financial difficulties during the First World War. Encumbered by construction debts and low traffic, the CNoR was bankrupt and requested financial aid from the federal government in 1918. On September 6, 1918, CNoR was nationalized
and placed under a Board of Management by the Department of Railways and Canals
. On December 20, 1918, CNoR, along with the Canadian Government Railways
were placed under a new company named Canadian National Railways (CNR). As part of the construction in Halifax of a new south-end terminal and station in 1920, H&SW tracks were located to join the CNR mainline in a railway cut at Fairview.
.
In the years before the domination of publicly funded highways, the H&SW formed a critical transportation link between the various communities, as well as steam ship connections at Yarmouth (to Boston and New York) and Halifax (to Europe
).
In the 1920s, the former M&VBR line was proving uneconomic after the closure of iron ore mines at Torbrook and the port at Port Wade. CNR applied in 1925 to abandon west of Middleton, however permission was only given to abandon west of Bridgetown
. By 1928, bridges were removed and trackage would be removed in the following years.
The construction of a major pulp and paper
mill by Bowater Mersey
in 1929 led to more traffic from Liverpool. Shipyards in Liverpool and Shelburne lent some traffic, as did various saw mills and logging operations at various locations between Yarmouth and Halifax and between Bridgewater and Middleton/Bridgetown and New Germany to Caledonia. A naval base opened on Shelburne Harbour during the Second World War, requiring construction of a short 1 mile spur. Heating oil and gasoline distribution terminals operated by various oil companies in communities along the lines. A distillery in Bridgetown generated some traffic, as did a forest products plant in East River
. In the early 1980s a large Michelin
tire
factory opened in Bridgewater and required rail service. The development of the Lakeside Industrial Park near the Beechville
area in the 1960s create several large industrial customers. One of them, a Volvo
assembly plant attracted steady strings of autorack cars until it closed in 1998.
CN's former H&SW lines on Nova Scotia's South Shore and in the Annapolis Valley were proving uneconomic by the early 1980s, even for freight service. In 1982, permission was given to abandon the far end of the mainline from Liverpool to Yarmouth as well as the branch line of the former NSCR line between Bridgewater and Bridgetown via Middleton, as well as the New Germany to Caledonia. Reduced to a line running from Halifax to Liverpool, CN depended on the Bowater paper mill and the Michelin tire plant, however even these customers were unable to keep the line generating positive income.
By the late 1980s, CN was given permission to abandon the remaining line from Bridgewater to Liverpool as the Bowater pulp mill in Liverpool shifted its transportation to ocean shipping and trucks. At Bridgewater, CN built a small yard on the east side of the Lahave River
and sold its extensive former yard property to a shopping mall developer. In the early 1990s even this trackage was eliminated as Michelin began to use trucks to service its plant and CN's last remaining customer in Lunenburg County
was the forest products company at East River. In 1993 the former H&SW trackage was abandoned west of Halifax's Lakeside Industrial Park, leaving only a 7 mile spur as the last reminder of this once important railway network in southern Nova Scotia. In 2006, as part of its Three-Year Rail Network Plan, CN declared its intention to discontinue service on the last remaining portion of H&SW trackage, the spur west of Southwestern Junction to the Lakeside Industrial Park. The last trains on the ran in late 2007. By October 2009, rails at level crossing
s were lifted and paved over and by September 2010, all the remaining track of the Halifax and Southwestern had been removed and replaced by a paved recreational pathway.
.
In addition to the network of recreational trails built on the former H&SW roadbed, several stations have survived and been given alternative use. They include the French Village
station, which is now a cafe and the Liverpool
station which is the Hank Snow museum.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
operating in the province of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. The H&SW was created in spring 1901 when William Mackenzie
William Mackenzie (railway entrepreneur)
Sir William Mackenzie was a Canadian railway contractor and entrepreneur.Born near Peterborough, Ontario, Mackenzie became a teacher and politician before entering business as the owner of a sawmill and gristmill in Kirkfield, Ontario...
and Donald Mann
Donald Mann
Sir Donald Mann was a Canadian railway contractor and entrepreneur.Born at Acton, Ontario, Mann studied as a Methodist minister but worked in lumber camps in Ontario and Michigan before moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba...
approached the provincial government with plans to finish the abortive plans for a railway from Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
to Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
along the province's South Shore
South Shore (Nova Scotia)
The South Shore is a region of Nova Scotia, Canada. Although it has no formal identity and is variously defined by geographic, county and other political boundaries, it is generally understood as the Atlantic coast running southwest from Halifax Harbour to the end of Shelburne County...
. For many years, the line had significant curvature throughout its length, a result of the rugged local topography, which earned it the moniker, Hellish Slow & Wobbly.
Predecessors
The H&SW wasn't the first railway to build on the South Shore of Nova Scotia as various charters for railway companies had preceded it.The Nova Scotia Central Railway (NSCR) had opened its line between Middleton
Middleton, Nova Scotia
Middleton is a Canadian town in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia.It is situated on the north bank of the Annapolis River. Incorporated in 1909, it is located near the centre of the Annapolis Valley, from which it gets its nickname, "The Heart of the Valley".-Economy:Founded by New England Planters,...
in the Annapolis Valley
Annapolis Valley
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy.-Geography:...
and Lunenburg, by way of Bridgewater
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
Bridgewater is a town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada, at the navigable limit of the LaHave River. It is the largest town in the South Shore region. While the majority of the South Shore's economy is based upon the tourist trade, Bridgewater is more a commercial and industrial centre and...
, on December 23, 1889.
In 1893, the Coast Railway Company of Nova Scotia was incorporated under a charter to build a narrow gauge line between Yarmouth and Lockeport
Lockeport, Nova Scotia
Lockeport is a Canadian port, and fishing town in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia.Lockeport is a traditional Nova Scotian fishing town, situated on an isthmus of land in Allendale Bay...
, by way of Barrington
Barrington, Nova Scotia
Barrington is a municipal district in western Shelburne County, Nova Scotia.Barrington forms the southernmost part of the province and contains Cape Sable, the eastern boundary between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine.- Demographics :...
and Shelburne
Shelburne, Nova Scotia
Shelburne is a town located in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Shelburne County.-History:-Settlers:...
. Construction took place very slowly and what little trackage had been already built was converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
in 1895. In 1899 the company was renamed the Halifax and Yarmouth Railway (H&YR) and received a new charter to build east from Lockeport to Liverpool
Liverpool, Nova Scotia
Liverpool is a Canadian community and former town located along the Atlantic Ocean of the Province of Nova Scotia's South Shore. It is situated within the Region of Queens Municipality which is the local governmental unit that comprises all of Queens County, Nova Scotia...
, Bridgewater and Halifax. By 1903 the line had barely reached Barrington.
The Liverpool and Milton Tramway also built a short railway up the Mersey River
Mersey River (Nova Scotia)
The Mersey River, formerly known as Rivière Rossignol by the Acadians, is a river in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is named after the River Mersey in Liverpool, England...
valley between Liverpool and a pulp mill near Milton
Milton, Nova Scotia
Milton, Nova Scotia is a village located immediately north of Liverpool, Nova Scotia in the Region of Queens Nova Scotia. The village is most well known for being the birth place of the international best selling author Margaret Marshall Saunders. Her most famous book was Beautiful Joe...
in Queens County in 1896, opening on February 1, 1897. It was renamed the Liverpool and Milton Railway (L&MR) in 1900.
Mergers and construction
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
Mahone Bay is a town located on the northwest shore of Mahone Bay along the South Shore of Nova Scotia in Lunenburg County.- History :...
to Bridgewater, forming part of the new mainline between Bridgewater and Halifax. The new construction between Halifax and Mahone Bay was completed by 1904.
On April 11, 1903, the H&SW purchased the Nova Scotia Southern Railway (NSSR). The NSSR had no trackage constructed, however it did have a charter to build from the NSCR at New Germany
New Germany, Nova Scotia
New Germany, Lunenburg County is a community in a central portion of southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located on the LaHave River, which splits the town into two halves which are connected by two early-20th century steel bridges...
to Caledonia
Caledonia, Nova Scotia
Caledonia, Nova Scotia is a village located in northern Region of Queens Municipality, Nova Scotia along Trunk 8 . It is about 30 miles north of Liverpool. 11 miles north of Caledonia, in Maitland Bridge,is the main entrance to Kejimkujik National Park...
in what was rich timber territory. Upon acquiring the NSSR charter, the H&SW built the 22 miles of track over the following months, with the first train reaching Caledonia on July 1, 1904.
In April 1905, the H&SW purchased the L&MR, with a short section of that line forming part of the main line between Bridgewater and Barrington. The new construction between Bridgewater and Barrington was completed later that year. In 1905, the H&SW also purchased the H&YR with major upgrades being done to this line between Barrington and Yarmouth over the next year.
Also in 1905, the H&SW purchased the charter for the unbuilt Middleton and Victoria Beach Railway (M&VBR) in the western Annapolis Valley. The 40 mile M&VBR line was opened by the H&SW to connect an iron ore mine at Torbrook
Torbrook, Nova Scotia
Torbrook is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County.-References:*...
, near Middleton on the NSCR, with port facilities at Port Wade
Port Wade, Nova Scotia
Port Wade is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County.-References:*...
on Annapolis Basin
Annapolis Basin
The Annapolis Basin is a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, located on the southwestern shores of the bay, along the northwestern shore of Nova Scotia and at the western end of the Annapolis Valley....
.
Canadian Northern
Construction was completed in 1906 and H&SW tracks joined the Intercolonial Railway's mainline in Halifax at Southwestern Junction at Africville and ran into the Intercolonial's North Street Station. On December 19, 1906 the first H&SW through train reached Yarmouth from Halifax. At some point during the period following completion of the H&SW in 1906, the system was merged into Mackenze and Mann's Canadian Northern RailwayCanadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
(CNoR) transcontinental system. The H&SW, along with the Inverness Railway, were isolated from the rest of CNoR's trackage which ran from Montreal to Vancouver, not unlike rival Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
's Dominion Atlantic Railway
Dominion Atlantic Railway
The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley....
. T
CNoR, along with several other railway lines in Canada, entered financial difficulties during the First World War. Encumbered by construction debts and low traffic, the CNoR was bankrupt and requested financial aid from the federal government in 1918. On September 6, 1918, CNoR was nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
and placed under a Board of Management by the Department of Railways and Canals
Department of Railways and Canals (Canada)
The Department of Railways and Canals is a former department of the Government of Canada. It had responsibility for the construction, operation, and maintenance of federal government-owned railways, as well as the operational responsibility for canals in Canada.The department was created in 1879...
. On December 20, 1918, CNoR, along with the Canadian Government Railways
Canadian Government Railways
Canadian Government Railways was the legal name used between 1915–1918 for all federal government-owned railways in Canada.The principal component companies were: the Intercolonial Railway of Canada , the National Transcontinental Railway , the Prince Edward Island Railway , and the Hudson...
were placed under a new company named Canadian National Railways (CNR). As part of the construction in Halifax of a new south-end terminal and station in 1920, H&SW tracks were located to join the CNR mainline in a railway cut at Fairview.
Canadian National
Under CNR, the H&SW trackage saw significant infrastructure improvements to ballast, drainage, sleeper ties, rails, switches and bridges. The line still had significant curvature throughout, a result of the rugged local topography on the South Shore (locals called the H&SW the "Hellish Slow & Wobbly"), but the improvements brought respectable track speeds and service improvements. In 1921, the Halifax end of the line at Southwestern Junction was shifted from Africville to the CNR mainline beside the a larger new roundhouse complex at FairviewFairview, Nova Scotia
Fairview is a former community and current neighbourhood within the urban core of Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada.-Geography:...
.
In the years before the domination of publicly funded highways, the H&SW formed a critical transportation link between the various communities, as well as steam ship connections at Yarmouth (to Boston and New York) and Halifax (to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
).
In the 1920s, the former M&VBR line was proving uneconomic after the closure of iron ore mines at Torbrook and the port at Port Wade. CNR applied in 1925 to abandon west of Middleton, however permission was only given to abandon west of Bridgetown
Bridgetown, Nova Scotia
Bridgetown is a Canadian town in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia.Situated on the Annapolis River at the head of the tide, the area saw Mi'kmaq settlements in the area, followed by Acadian settlers from Port-Royal and then British-sponsored settlements by the late 18th century.There were at least ten...
. By 1928, bridges were removed and trackage would be removed in the following years.
The construction of a major pulp and paper
Pulp and Paper
Pulp and Paper is the name of the largest United States-based trade magazine for the pulp and paper industry. See also: Paper engineering, Pulp and Paper Merit Badge...
mill by Bowater Mersey
Bowater
Bowater was an American pulp and paper company based in Greenville, South Carolina. Bowater had 12 pulp and paper mills in the United States, Canada and South Korea and 13 North American sawmills. It had approximately 10,000 employees...
in 1929 led to more traffic from Liverpool. Shipyards in Liverpool and Shelburne lent some traffic, as did various saw mills and logging operations at various locations between Yarmouth and Halifax and between Bridgewater and Middleton/Bridgetown and New Germany to Caledonia. A naval base opened on Shelburne Harbour during the Second World War, requiring construction of a short 1 mile spur. Heating oil and gasoline distribution terminals operated by various oil companies in communities along the lines. A distillery in Bridgetown generated some traffic, as did a forest products plant in East River
East River, Nova Scotia
East River is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Chester Municipal District on the Aspotogan Peninsula on the Lighthouse Route at the junction of and Trunk 3.- History :...
. In the early 1980s a large Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
factory opened in Bridgewater and required rail service. The development of the Lakeside Industrial Park near the Beechville
Beechville, Nova Scotia
Beechville is a community within the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada, on the St. Margaret's Bay Road . The Beechville Lakeville Timberlea trail starts here near Lovett Lake, following the line of the old Halifax and Southwestern Railway.-History:Many of the first arrivals were...
area in the 1960s create several large industrial customers. One of them, a Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
assembly plant attracted steady strings of autorack cars until it closed in 1998.
Decline
CN passenger service ended on the South Shore on Saturday October 25, 1969 and its stations fell into disuse. In a December 22, 1982 fire, the historic H&SW passenger station in Bridgewater fell victim to an unexplained fire.CN's former H&SW lines on Nova Scotia's South Shore and in the Annapolis Valley were proving uneconomic by the early 1980s, even for freight service. In 1982, permission was given to abandon the far end of the mainline from Liverpool to Yarmouth as well as the branch line of the former NSCR line between Bridgewater and Bridgetown via Middleton, as well as the New Germany to Caledonia. Reduced to a line running from Halifax to Liverpool, CN depended on the Bowater paper mill and the Michelin tire plant, however even these customers were unable to keep the line generating positive income.
By the late 1980s, CN was given permission to abandon the remaining line from Bridgewater to Liverpool as the Bowater pulp mill in Liverpool shifted its transportation to ocean shipping and trucks. At Bridgewater, CN built a small yard on the east side of the Lahave River
LaHave River
The LaHave River is a river in Nova Scotia, Canada, running from its source in Annapolis County to the Atlantic Ocean. Along its way, it splits the communities of LaHave and Riverport and bisects the town of Bridgewater flowing into the LaHave River estuary .The river and various spots in the area...
and sold its extensive former yard property to a shopping mall developer. In the early 1990s even this trackage was eliminated as Michelin began to use trucks to service its plant and CN's last remaining customer in Lunenburg County
Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia
Lunenburg County is a county located on the South Shore of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, It ranges from Hubbards to the east and Vogler's Cove to the west.-History:...
was the forest products company at East River. In 1993 the former H&SW trackage was abandoned west of Halifax's Lakeside Industrial Park, leaving only a 7 mile spur as the last reminder of this once important railway network in southern Nova Scotia. In 2006, as part of its Three-Year Rail Network Plan, CN declared its intention to discontinue service on the last remaining portion of H&SW trackage, the spur west of Southwestern Junction to the Lakeside Industrial Park. The last trains on the ran in late 2007. By October 2009, rails at level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s were lifted and paved over and by September 2010, all the remaining track of the Halifax and Southwestern had been removed and replaced by a paved recreational pathway.
Preservation
The railway's history is preserved at the Halifax and Southwestern Railway Museum in Lunenburg, Nova ScotiaLunenburg, Nova Scotia
Lunenburg , is a Canadian port town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.Situated on the province's South Shore, Lunenburg is located on a peninsula at the western side of Mahone Bay. The town is approximately 90 kilometres southwest of the county boundary with the Halifax Regional Municipality.The...
.
In addition to the network of recreational trails built on the former H&SW roadbed, several stations have survived and been given alternative use. They include the French Village
French Village, Nova Scotia
French Village is a community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Chebucto Peninsula. French village initially included present day villages of Tantallon, Glen Haven and French Village...
station, which is now a cafe and the Liverpool
Liverpool, Nova Scotia
Liverpool is a Canadian community and former town located along the Atlantic Ocean of the Province of Nova Scotia's South Shore. It is situated within the Region of Queens Municipality which is the local governmental unit that comprises all of Queens County, Nova Scotia...
station which is the Hank Snow museum.
External links
- History of Railway Companies in Nova Scotia
- Photographs of the H&SW Gold River bridge in Lunenburg County
- Photographs of the H&SW Martins River bridge in Lunenburg County
- Halifax & Southwestern Railway Digital Preservation Initiative - Wiki
- Dominion Atlantic Railway Digital Preservation Initiative - Wiki, Middleton Interchange