Rainbow Bridge, International steel bridge in Niagara Falls, United States and Canada.
Rainbow Bridge is an international steel bridge spanning the Niagara River between Niagara Falls in New York and Niagara Falls in Ontario, measuring 442 meters (1450 feet) in length. The structure forms a steel arch that rises 62 meters (203 feet) above the water, carrying both vehicles and pedestrians across the border.
Construction started in May 1940 at the site where the earlier Honeymoon Bridge had collapsed in 1938 due to ice buildup in the river. The new crossing replaced the destroyed connection between both countries.
The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission chose the name in March 1939 because rainbows form often in the spray and mist near the falls. On the Canadian plaza, the Rainbow Tower holds a carillon that plays several times a day, and a monument marks the 1939 dedication of the site by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Vehicles pay a toll of 5 USD or 6.50 CAD when entering Canada, while pedestrians and cyclists pay 1 dollar in either currency. The crossing offers views of the falls and the river below.
The bridge's concrete abutments stand 15 metres back from the shore and 15 metres above the water, high enough to escape even large ice jams like the one that destroyed its predecessor. The deck runs 61.5 metres above the river, and the steel arch spans 289.5 metres between two hollow box girders set 17 metres apart.
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