Rainbow Bridge (Niagara Falls)
Rainbow Bridge | |
---|---|
Regional Road 420 (2 each way), pedestrian traffic | |
Crosses | Niagara River |
Locale | Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. |
Official name | Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge |
Maintained by | Niagara Falls Bridge Commission |
Characteristics | |
Design | Arch bridge of steel construction |
Total length | 1,450 ft (440 m)[1] |
Height | 202 ft (62 m)[1] |
Longest span | 960 ft (290 m)[1] |
History | |
Construction cost | $4 million[1] |
Opened | November 1, 1941 |
Statistics | |
Toll | Canada-bound only: $5.00 USD or $6.50 CAD per auto. $1.00 USD or $1.00 CAD per pedestrian/bicyclist.[2] |
Location | |
The Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge, commonly known as the Rainbow Bridge, is a steel arch bridge across the Niagara River, connecting the cities of Niagara Falls, New York, United States, and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Construction
The Rainbow Bridge was built near the site of the earlier
Architect Richard (Su Min) Lee designed the bridge; a design also used for the
The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission chose the name "Rainbow Bridge" in March 1939, because rainbows occur frequently near the falls due to water spray and mist in the air.[5]
Description and specifications
The
The Rainbow Bridge does not permit commercial trucks; the nearest border crossing accessible to trucks is the
For each pedestrian or bicyclist, the toll to cross the bridge is $1.00 USD or CAD. For vehicles, the toll is only collected when leaving the United States and entering Canada. As of August 2022, the cash toll for personal vehicles is $5.00 USD or $6.50 CAD.[2]
2023 car crash
On November 22, 2023, a car traveling at a high rate of speed left the roadway, went airborne, crashed and exploded at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing on the American side. The vehicle's two occupants died, and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was injured.[7] The crash and subsequent explosion was at first investigated as a potential terrorist attack, and was later determined to have been an accident.[8]
Gallery
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The bridge as viewed from Canada, with collapsed Schoellkopf Power Station visible in the distance
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Bridge and the American Falls at night
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The border station to enter Canada after crossing the bridge from the US
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Directions to the US for internationally destined pedestrians
See also
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New York
- List of bridges in Canada
- List of bridges in the United States by height
- List of crossings of the Niagara River
- List of reference routes in New York
References
- ^ a b c d "Celebrating Eight Decades of Award-winning Bridges" (PDF). Modern Steel Construction. American Institute of Steel Construction. November 2011. p. 23 (page 2 in PDF). Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Niagara Falls Bridge Commission: Toll Cost & Vehicle Definitions". August 1, 2022. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "Somerville, William Lyon". Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800–1950. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0692522523.
- ISBN 1-55002-074-9.
- ^ "Niagara Falls Bridge Commission: Which Bridge Do I Take?".
- ^ Tabachnick, Cara (2023-11-24). "2 dead in vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge U.S.-Canada border crossing; officials say no sign of terrorism". CBS News. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ Tebor, Celina; Miller, John; Perez, Evan; Sanchez, Ray (2023-11-23). "Sources: Deadly crash at US-Canadian border bridge involved husband and wife in a Bentley, investigators believe". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
He called the crash a "tragic accident."
External links
- Niagara Falls Bridge Commission
- Google Maps view of Rainbow Bridge
- Live Traffic Camera of Rainbow Bridge
- Images from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NY-551, "Rainbow Bridge, Spanning Niagara River, Niagara Falls, Niagara County, NY", 2 photos, 1 photo caption page