Lewiston–Queenston Bridge

Lewiston–Queenston Bridge

The bridge as seen from the observation deck of the nearby Power Vista at the Robert Moses hydroelectric power plant (NY).
Carries 5 reversible lanes of Highway 405 and I-190
Crosses Niagara River
Locale Queenston, Ontario and Lewiston, New York
Maintained by Niagara Falls Bridge Commission
Characteristics
Design Arch Bridge
Total length 1,594 feet (486 m)
Width 24 feet (7 m)
Longest span 1,000 feet (305 m)[1]
Clearance below 370 feet (113 m)[1]
History
Construction cost $16 million [2]
Opened November 1, 1962 (1962-11-01)
Statistics
Daily traffic 10,406 AADT
Toll US$3.50 ($3.25 with E-ZPass) (westbound only)[3]
Lewiston–Queenston Border Crossing

Canada Border Inspection Station at the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge
Location
Country United States; Canada
Location

US Port: 1 Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, Lewiston, New York 14092

Canadian Port: Hwy 405, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0
Details
Opened 1962
US Phone (716) 282-1500
Canadian Phone (905) 262-4010
Hours Open 24 hours
Website
http://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/buffalo
Lewiston-Queenston Bridge from Niagara Gorge.

The Lewiston–Queenston Bridge, also known as the Queenston–Lewiston Bridge, is an arch bridge that crosses the Niagara River gorge just south of the Niagara Escarpment. The bridge was officially opened on November 1, 1962. It is an international bridge between the United States and Canada. It connects Interstate 190 in the town of Lewiston, New York to King's Highway 405 in the community of Queenston, Ontario. The Lewiston–Queenston Bridge is a replica of the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls.

Customs plazas are located on both ends of the bridge, with tolls only being charged on entering Canada (USD$3.50 or CAD$4.50 per automobile as of Dec. 15, 2015). The bridge accepts E-ZPass electronic toll collection and houses the second Canadian E-ZPass collection facility, after the nearby Peace Bridge. Also, two duty-free stores are located between the two plazas.

The bridge permits no pedestrians, but licensed taxi service is permitted.[4] The Lewiston–Queenston Bridge lacks expedited border clearance facilities for NEXUS and FAST card holders traveling from Canada to the United States, but does have a NEXUS lane for travel into Canada.

Gantries have lights indicating the direction of traffic as the lanes are reversible. Speed limit is posted in kilometres and miles per hour (15 mph or 24 km/h limit) along the bridge. A set of flags, Canada and United States, are found at the midpoint on the south side of the bridge.

Toll plaza

There are toll plazas for customs clearance on either side of the bridge. The toll plaza for payment for use of the bridge is on the Canadian side only.

High mast lighting is used on the Canadian side with regular light standards used for bridge and US toll plaza.

Previous suspension bridges

The Queenston-Lewiston suspension bridge, 1915.

The current arch bridge replaced an old suspension bridge called the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge which was located seven-tenths mile (1.1 km) north. Coincidentally, the suspension bridge was originally built near the location of the present-day Rainbow Bridge, and was moved to Queenston in 1898 by R.S. Buck and engineer L.L. Buck, after the completion of the Rainbow Bridge's predecessor, the Upper Steel Arch Bridge. The suspension bridge was dismantled in 1963.

There are a couple of reminders of the earlier bridge. First are two columns that lie within the Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park. Second is the original brass plaque, now located midspan alongside the road, right at the border between the two countries. The plaque is flanked by a US and a Canadian flag.

The supports are part of Owen Morrell's Omega, a steel sculpture and observation platform added in 1981.[5] Two columns remain are found on the Canadian side at the foot of York Street in a wooded area now known as York Park.

A former suspension cable support in Lewiston for the old suspension bridge in July 2016

The first Queenston-Lewiston Bridge was built in 1851 by engineer Edward Serrell and wrecked by wind in 1864 (or 1854[6]). Some of the cables were still in place as late as 1895.[7] The road deck span was about 841–849 ft (256–259 m). The suspension bridge design was unusual because the cables were attached to the cliff with only small towers. This made the road deck span shorter than the cable span of 1,040 feet (317 m).

Border crossings

Canada replaced its border inspection facilities in 2011. The United States continues to use its original 1962 border inspection facilities; however it has announced plans to spend $50 Million to upgrade them.[8] Both facilities are open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. All commercial vehicles crossing between the US and Canada in the Niagara Falls area must use this crossing.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Lewiston-Queenston Bridge". HighestBridges.com. Eric Sakowski. 10 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "Bridges Over Niagara Falls". Niagarafrontier.com. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  3. ↑ Niagara Falls Bridge Commission: Toll Cost & Vehicle Definitions Archived March 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Niagara Falls Bridge Commission: Which Bridge to Take?
  5. ↑ "Installations and Statement". Owen Morrel. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  6. ↑ Bridges over Niagara Falls
  7. ↑ Bridgemeister - 1851 Lewiston-Queenston - Lewiston, New York, USA and Queenston, Ontario, Canada
  8. ↑ Anderson, Dale; McCarthy, Robert (February 19, 2016). "U.S. side of Lewiston-Queenston Bridge to get $50 million upgrade". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 22 February 2016.

Coordinates: 43°9′11″N 79°2′40.03″W / 43.15306°N 79.0444528°W / 43.15306; -79.0444528

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