| Michigan Central Railway Bridge | |
|---|---|
Bridge in Spring 2009 |
|
| Crosses | Niagara River |
| Locale | Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York |
| Maintained by | Canadian Pacific Railway |
| Design | Deck arch bridge |
| Opened | 1925 |
| Toll | N/A |
| Daily traffic | none |
The Michigan Central Railway Bridge is a steel arch bridge spanning the Niagara Gorge between Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York. The bridge was designed by William Perry Taylor, Chief Engineer J.L. Delming and consulting Norwegian-born engineer Olaf Hoff.[1]
Construction on the bridge began in 1924, and the bridge opened in 1925. This bridge replaced the Niagara Cantilever Bridge that crossed in the same area from 1883 to 1925. The bridge is owned by Canadian Pacific Railway, which purchased the single track structure in 1990. The bridge no longer carries train traffic as the tracks on the bridge and on the Canadian side have been removed. The tracks leading to the bridge end at Robert Moses State Parkway remain in certain sections.
There is currently a wall across the centre of the bridge that is topped with barbed wire to prevent people from walking across it. Additional barrier and barbed wire is located on the sides to prevent climbing on the steel arch sections. A wired fence blocks the east side (American) and another wall on the west side (in Canada). The Canadian corridor and bridge are owned by the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario and plans are to have the bridge demolished by May 2012.[2]
|
||||||||