| Bridge Name: | Rainbow Bridge |
| Official Name: | Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge |
| Carries: | 4 lanes of /, pedestrian traffic |
| Crosses: | Niagara River |
| Locale: | Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. |
| Maint: | Niagara Falls Bridge Commission |
| Design: | Arch bridge of steel construction |
| Mainspan: | 960feet |
| Length: | 1450feet |
| Height: | 202feet |
| Cost: | $4 million[1] |
| Toll: | Canada-bound only: $5.00 USD or $6.50 CAD per auto. $1.00 USD or $1.00 CAD per pedestrian/bicyclist.[2] |
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.
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 10km (10miles) downriver. The bridge's Rainbow Tower and Canadian side plaza are the work of another Canadian architect, William Lyon Somerville.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6]
For each pedestrian or bicyclist, the toll to cross the bridge is $1.00 USD or CAD. For vehicles, the toll is only collected when leaving the United States and entering Canada. As of August 2022, the cash toll for personal vehicles is $5.00 USD or $6.50 CAD.
On November 22, 2023, a car traveling at a high rate of 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.[7] The crash and subsequent explosion was at first investigated as a potential terrorist attack, and was later determined to have been an unintentional crash.[8]