Thousand Islands Bridge

Thousand Islands Bridge
File:Thousand Islands Bridge 5.jpg A view of the Canadian side of the bridge system from an observation tower just before the border crossing.
Coordinates
Carries	2 lanes of I-81 and Highway 137
Crosses	Saint Lawrence River
Locale	Wellesley Island, New York, United States to Hill Island, Ontario, Canada
Official name	The Thousand Islands Bridge system
Maintained by	Thousand Islands Bridge Authority
Characteristics
Design	suspension & truss bridge
Total length	Total: 8.5 mi (13.7 km)
Longest span	American suspension: 800 ft (240 m) Canadian suspension: 750 ft (230 m) Canadian truss: 600 ft (180 m)
Clearance below	U.S.: 150 ft (46 m) Canada: 120 ft (37 m)
History
Construction begin	April 30, 1937 (April 30, 1937)
Opened	1937 (1937)
Statistics
Toll	Varies $2.75–$15.50 (USD or CAD)

The Thousand Islands Bridge (French: Pont des Mille-îles) is an international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the United States-Canada border in the middle of the Thousand Islands region, from which it derives its name. The bridges all carry two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) with pedestrian sidewalks, and is administered by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority, an international agency.

The actual international border bridge crossing is a set of two parallel 90 ft (27 m) long bridges between Wellesley Island in the United States and Hill Island in Canada.

Structure

Thousand Islands Bridge system is a series of five bridges that span parts of the St. Lawrence River, ultimately connecting both banks. The southern end of the bridge connects with Interstate 81 and the northern end of the bridge connects to Highway 401 via Highway 137. There is also an interchange with the Thousand Islands Parkway on the Ontario side.

Toll payments

Tolls are paid only by cash, or with a Commuter Discount Fare Card, which is good for either 16 trips (US$20.00) or 72 trips (US$32.00). No electronic toll collection transponders are currently offered or accepted (including E-ZPass or 407 ETR transponders). The Bridge Authority offers sales of transponders of Florida's SunPass, for the convenience of Canadian travelers to Florida.

History

From ground-breaking ceremonies to completion, the entire Thousand Islands Bridge system took sixteen months to complete, which was ten weeks ahead of schedule. The total cost was $3,050,000. In the early years of its operation, the bridge usually had 150,000 vehicle crossings annually. Today, however, annual crossings exceed 2,000,000 vehicles.

Gallery

• DSCN4277 1000islandsbridge e.jpg

  Toll plaza on the Thousand Islands Bridge

• Thousand Islands Bridge from Ivy Lea 2.jpg

  Thousand Island bridge view from Ivy Lea

• 

  Thousand Islands Bridge

• Thousand Islands Bridge plaque.jpg

  The international boundary plaque on the bridge

See also

• List of crossings of the Saint Lawrence River
• Boldt Castle (landmark owned by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority)
• Dewolf Point State Park
• Sewells Road Suspension Bridge
• Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge
• Ambassador Bridge
• Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority

External links

• Thousand Islands Bridge Authority
• Aerial photos of the Thousand Island Bridge System
• Ian Coristine's Thousand Islands Canadian Span & Area Gallery
• Tim Kocher's Riverview Photography of Ships Navigating Under the American Span & Gallery
• CBC Digital Archives: Recording of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's address at the opening of the Thousand Islands Bridge