Rainbow Bridge (Niagara Falls)
- For other articles with the words Rainbow Bridge in it, see Rainbow Bridge
The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls is a steel arch bridge linking the United States and Canada, and is a world-famous tourist site. The bridge has been replicated by the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge approximately 16 km (10 mi.) to the north. It connects the Cities of Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario, spanning the Niagara River. The New York State Department of Transportation designates the bridge New York State Reference Route 955A (though it is unsigned), while the Ontario Ministry of Transportation at one point had designated the bridge as part of Highway 420 (this section of the route has since been downloaded to the city).
The Rainbow Bridge was built near the site of the earlier Honeymoon Bridge, also called the Falls View Bridge or officially the Upper Steel Arch Bridge, which had collapsed on January 27, 1938, due to an ice jam in the river.
A joint Canadian and American commission had already been considering a new bridge to replace it, to which the collapse gave added urgency. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, during their visit to Niagara Falls as part of the 1939 Royal Tour of Canada, dedicated the site of the Rainbow Bridge. A monument was erected to commemorate the occasion. Construction began in May of 1940. The official opening of the Rainbow Bridge took place on November 1, 1941.
The span of this bridge is 289.5 m (950 ft).
The complex on the Canadian side of the Rainbow Bridge features the Rainbow Tower, which houses a large carillon. It sounds multiple times daily.