Rainbow Bridge (Niagara Falls)

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Rainbow Bridge
300px
Rainbow Bridge as seen from Canada, 2013
Carries 4 lanes of NY 384 / NY 104 / Road 420 (2 each way), pedestrian traffic
Crosses Niagara River
Locale Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York
Official name Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge
Maintained by Niagara Falls Bridge Commission
Characteristics
Design Arch bridge
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; 83 years ago (1941-11-01)
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]

The Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge, commonly known as the Rainbow Bridge, is an arch bridge across the Niagara River gorge. It connects the cities of Niagara Falls, New York, United States (to the east), and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (west).

Construction

The Rainbow Bridge was built near the site of the earlier Honeymoon Bridge, which collapsed on January 27, 1938, due to an ice jam in the river. A joint Canadian and American commission had been considering a new bridge to replace it, and the collapse added urgency to the project.[citation needed]

File:Rainbow Bridge Canada side.jpg
Engraved text on the bridge includes a biblical reference to rainbows (click on image to read).

A design by architect Richard (Su Min) Lee was chosen (and used again for the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) downriver). The bridge's Rainbow Tower and Canadian plaza are the work of Canadian architect William Lyon Somerville.[3] King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, during their visit to Niagara Falls as part of the 1939 royal tour of Canada, dedicated the site of the Rainbow Bridge; a monument was erected to commemorate the occasion. Construction began in May 1940. The bridge officially opened on November 1, 1941.[4]

Rainbows are common at Niagara Falls due to the regular presence of mist in the air. The NRBC used the name Rainbow for the bridge as early as March 1939.[5]

Description and specifications

The New York State Department of Transportation designates the bridge as NY 955A, an unsigned reference route, while the Ontario Ministry of Transportation designates it as part of Highway 420 (and the original routing of the Queen Elizabeth Way), even though it is separated from the rest of the route by a regional road. On the American side, a number of state and national routes end at a set of intersections in front of the bridge. New York routes 104 and 384, as well as the northern section of the Niagara Scenic Parkway, all terminate at the final intersection before the bridge, and none of the designations passes onto the bridge. U.S. Route 62 terminates two blocks north at route 104, which then continues to the bridge. The Rainbow Tower, part of the plaza complex on the Canadian side, houses a large carillon, which plays several times daily.

The Rainbow Bridge does not permit commercial trucks; the nearest border crossing accessible to trucks is the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.[6]

Tolls

For each pedestrian or bicyclist, the toll to cross the bridge is $1.00 USD or CAD. The pedestrian toll is collected by an automatic turnstile when leaving Canada, payable in USD or CAD quarters or $1 CAD 'loonies'.[2] Change machines are available from $1 and $5 USD bills and $1 (loonies) and $2 (toonies) CAD coins.

For personal automobiles, the toll is only collected when leaving the United States and entering Canada. As of August 2022, car tolls are $5.00 USD or $6.50 CAD.

Gallery

  • Rainbow Bridge July 2013.jpg

    The bridge as viewed from the Canadian side, with collapsed Schoellkopf Power Station visible distant cliff face

  • Rainbow Bridge & American Falls at Night.JPG

    Bridge and falls at night

  • Niagara Falls (Ontario) Border Station.jpg

    The border station to enter Canada after crossing the bridge from the US

Cityscape

A panoramic view of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls which connects the United States (on the right) and Canada (on the left).
A panoramic view of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls which connects the United States (on the right) and Canada (on the left).

Incidents

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Main article: 2023 Rainbow Bridge explosion

On November 22, 2023, a vehicle exploded at the US border checkpoint at the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge. The FBI reported that the situation was 'very fluid'.[7] Two people inside the vehicle were killed and one US CBP officer was injured and hospitalized.

See also

References

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External links

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