Rainbow Bridge (Niagara Falls)

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 Honeymoon Bridge, which collapsed in 1938 due to an ice jam in the Niagara Gorge.

Architect Richard (Su Min) Lee designed the bridge; a design also used for the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, approximately downriver. The bridge's Rainbow Tower and Canadian side plaza are the work of another Canadian architect, William Lyon Somerville. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, during their visit to Niagara Falls as part of their 1939 royal tour of Canada, dedicated the future construction site of the Rainbow Bridge; a monument was later erected to commemorate the occasion. Construction began in May 1940. The bridge officially opened on November 1, 1941.

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.

Description and specifications

The New York State Department of Transportation designates the bridge as , an unsigned reference route. Roads that adjoin the bridge include New York routes 104 and 384, and the Niagara Scenic Parkway. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation designates the bridge as part of Highway 420. The Rainbow Tower, part of the plaza complex on the Canadian side, houses a 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.

For a bicyclist, the toll to cross the bridge is $1.00 USD or $1.00 CAD. Pedestrians are only charged if they are departing from Canada either $1.00 USD or $1.25 CAD. since May 2025Template:Dated maintenance category (articles), the cash toll for personal vehicles is $8.50 CAD. In 2025, cross-border traffic declined significantly after the trade war began, with 23% fewer Canadians returning home in February of that year.

2023 car crash

On November 22, 2023, a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur traveling at high 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. The crash and subsequent explosion was at first investigated as a potential terrorist attack, but was later determined to have been an unintentional crash.

Gallery

• Rainbow Bridge, viewed from Ontario
  Rainbow Bridge, viewed from Ontario
• The bridge as viewed from Canada, with collapsed Schoellkopf Power Station visible in the distance
  The bridge as viewed from Canada, with collapsed Schoellkopf Power Station visible in the distance
• Bridge and the American Falls at night
  Bridge and the American Falls at night
• Underside of the bridge
  Underside of the bridge
• The border station to enter Canada after crossing the bridge from the US
  The border station to enter Canada after crossing the bridge from the US
• Directions to the US for internationally destined pedestrians
  Directions to the US for internationally destined pedestrians
• International border marker on the bridge
  International border marker on the bridge

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 international bridges in North America
• List of crossings of the Niagara River
• List of reference routes in New York

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
• Template:HAER