Peace Bridge

Information about Peace Bridge

This article is about the Peace Bridge between Canada and USA. For other Peace Bridges, see Peace Bridge (disambiguation).


Peace Bridge
CrossesNiagara River
LocaleFort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York
Maintained byBuffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (Peace Bridge Authority)
Designthrough truss and arch bridge
Total length5,800 feet (1768 m)
Opening dateJune 1, 1927
Toll$3.00 ($2.70 with E-ZPass)


The Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the mouth of the Niagara River, about 20 kilometres (0 mi) upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects the City of Buffalo, New York and the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario. It is operated and maintained by the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority.

The Peace Bridge consists of five arched spans over the Niagara River and a Parker through-truss span over the Black Rock Canal on the American side of the river. The total length is 5,800 feet (1768 m). Material used in the construction included 3,500 feet (1067 m) of steelwork, 9,000 tons of structural steel and 800 tons of reinforcing steel in the concrete abutments. The Peace Bridge was named to commemorate 100 years of peace between the United States and Canada.

It was constructed as a highway bridge to address the needs of pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic which could not be accommodated on the International Railway Bridge, built in 1873.

Peace Bridge logo


The building of the Peace Bridge was approved by the International Joint Commission on August 6, 1925. A major obstacle to building the bridge was the swift river current, which averages 7.5 to 12 miles per hour. Construction began in 1925 and was completed in the spring of 1927. On June 1, 1927 the bridge was opened to the public.

The official opening ceremony was held two months later, on August 7, 1927, with approximately 100,000 in attendance. The festivities were transmitted to the public via radio in the first international coast-to-coast broadcast. Newspapers at the time estimated as many as 50 million listeners may have heard the broadcast.

The dignitaries who took part in the dedication ceremonies included Prince Edward of Wales (the future Edward VIII), Prince Albert (the future George VI), Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, U.S. Vice President Charles Dawes, Secretary of State Frank Kellogg, New York Governor Al Smith and Ontario Premier Howard Ferguson[1].

When the bridge opened, Buffalo became the chief port of entry to Canada from the United States. At the time it was the only vehicular bridge on the Great Lakes from Niagara Falls to Minnesota. The bridge remains one of North America's important commercial ports - four thousand trucks cross it daily.

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority in 1997 announced plans for the building of a second bridge south of and beside the existing Peace Bridge. It was expected that the new Peace Bridge would alleviate traffic congestion and increase daily vehicle traffic by at least 33%. Legal challenges as well as concerns about the design and how costs will be paid delayed the start of construction. On December 13, 2005, the Jury Recommendation Report[2] was released, with the selection of a cable-stayed bridge for the new span.

Other nearby bridges between the United States and Canada include the Rainbow Bridge, the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge and the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge. The Queenston-Lewiston Bridge and the Peace Bridge are the only crossings that allow heavy trucks.

On the New York side, Interstate 190 has a direct northbound off-ramp (Exit 9) onto the Peace Bridge. This exit is signed as Ft. Erie Can on I-190, but the bridge is actually Moore Drive. Moore Drive is not signed on the exit, but the road does head south of the bridge to its southern terminus of Porter Avenue. On the Ontario side, the Queen Elizabeth Way begins after Canadian Customs.

After new toll facilities were installed on the Canadian side in 2005, the Peace Bridge became the first (and at present the only) E-ZPass facility outside the United States.

Commemorations

Enlarge picture
Canadian Peace Bridge stamp
Enlarge picture
US Peace Bridge stamp
  • The Peace Bridge March, by Buffalo resident Emma M. Herold-Haft, was composed in honor of the bridge's opening in 1927.
  • On August 4, 1977, Canada and the United States brought out a joint issue of postage stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the bridge. Unusual for joint issues, the two designs are radically different.

See also

External links

Bridges of the Niagara River
Upstream
Lake Erie
Peace Bridge
Downstream
International Railway Bridge


Coordinates:
Peace Bridge is the name of several bridges:
  • Peace Bridge, linking Canada and USA over the Niagara River
  • Peace Bridge (Mongolia), in the center of the city of Ulan Bator, Mongolia
  • Ho-pin Bridge in Keelung, Taiwan, literally meaning "Peace Bridge"

..... Click the link for more information.
Origin Lake Erie
Mouth Lake Ontario
Basin countries United States & Canada
Length 36 mi (58 km)[1]

Avg. discharge 204,800 cfs (5,796 m³/s)[2]
Basin area 264,000 sq mi (684,000 km²)
..... Click the link for more information.
Fort Erie (2006 population 29,925) is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York.
..... Click the link for more information.
Buffalo, New York

Flag
Seal
Nickname: City of Good Neighbors, The Queen City, Nickel City, Queen City of the Lakes, City of Light
Location of Buffalo in New York State
Coordinates:
..... Click the link for more information.
The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (also known as the Peace Bridge Authority) is a public benefit corporation that enforces the Peace Bridge. This bridge is designed to handle traffic between Buffalo, New York, U.S.A., and Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.
..... Click the link for more information.
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements (typically straight) which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges.
..... Click the link for more information.
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side.
..... Click the link for more information.
June 1 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus assassinated.

..... Click the link for more information.
20th century - 21st century
1890s  1900s  1910s  - 1920s -  1930s  1940s  1950s
1924 1925 1926 - 1927 - 1928 1929 1930

Year 1927 (MCMXXVII
..... Click the link for more information.
E-ZPass is the electronic toll collection system used on most toll bridges and toll roads in the northeastern United States from Virginia to Maine, and recently extended into Illinois.
..... Click the link for more information.
International or internationally most often describes interaction between nations, or encompassing two or more nations, constituting a group or association having members in two or more nations, or generally reaching beyond national boundaries.
..... Click the link for more information.
bridge is a structure built to span a gorge, valley, road, railroad track, river, body of water, or any other physical obstacle. Designs of bridges will vary depending on the function of the bridge and the nature of the terrain where the bridge is to be constructed.
..... Click the link for more information.
This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
..... Click the link for more information.
Coordinates Coordinates:

Primary sources Detroit River

..... Click the link for more information.
Niagara Falls

The American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls.
Location Niagara Falls (Ontario & New York)
Coordinates Coordinates:
Type Segmented Block
Total height 167 ft (51 m)
..... Click the link for more information.
Buffalo, New York

Flag
Seal
Nickname: City of Good Neighbors, The Queen City, Nickel City, Queen City of the Lakes, City of Light
Location of Buffalo in New York State
Coordinates:
..... Click the link for more information.
State of New York

Flag of New York Seal
Nickname(s): The Empire State
Motto(s): Excelsior!

Official language(s) None

Capital Albany
Largest city New York City

..... Click the link for more information.
Fort Erie (2006 population 29,925) is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York.
..... Click the link for more information.
Ontario


Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains)

Capital Toronto
Largest city Toronto
Official languages English (de facto)
Government
..... Click the link for more information.
The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (also known as the Peace Bridge Authority) is a public benefit corporation that enforces the Peace Bridge. This bridge is designed to handle traffic between Buffalo, New York, U.S.A., and Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.
..... Click the link for more information.
Origin Lake Erie
Mouth Lake Ontario
Basin countries United States & Canada
Length 36 mi (58 km)[1]

Avg. discharge 204,800 cfs (5,796 m³/s)[2]
Basin area 264,000 sq mi (684,000 km²)
..... Click the link for more information.
International Railway Bridge carries rail lines across the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York. It was built in 1873 for the International Bridge Company by Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski and D.L. MacPherson.
..... Click the link for more information.
18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1840s  1850s  1860s  - 1870s -  1880s  1890s  1900s
1870 1871 1872 - 1873 - 1874 1875 1876

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
The International Joint Commission is an independent binational organization established by the United States and Canada under the International Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.
..... Click the link for more information.
August 6 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.

..... Click the link for more information.
19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1890s  1900s  1910s  - 1920s -  1930s  1940s  1950s
1922 1923 1924 - 1925 - 1926 1927 1928

Year 1925 (MCMXXV
..... Click the link for more information.
June 1 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus assassinated.

..... Click the link for more information.
20th century - 21st century
1890s  1900s  1910s  - 1920s -  1930s  1940s  1950s
1924 1925 1926 - 1927 - 1928 1929 1930

Year 1927 (MCMXXVII
..... Click the link for more information.
August 7 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

The Northern Hemisphere is considered to be halfway through its summer on this day.
..... Click the link for more information.

This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.