Rainbow Bridge: what to know about the US-Canada border crossing
The bridges connecting the U.S. and Canada at Niagara Falls were closed Wednesday after law enforcement agencies announced a vehicle had exploded on Rainbow Bridge.
Two people were reportedly killed in the blast.
The FBI said in a statement that its Buffalo, N.Y., field office is investigating and coordinating with local, state and federal law enforcement partners.
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“As this situation is very fluid, that’s all we can say at this time,” the FBI said.
The Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge, known commonly as Rainbow Bridge, is a noncommercial bridge that connects the cities of Niagara Falls, Canada, and Niagara Falls, N.Y., stretching over the Niagara River.
According to the Niagara Falls Live website, crossing the bridge costs $5, or CA$6.50 per vehicle. Pedestrians can cross the bridge for $1 or Canadian funds when they are leaving Canada. Visitors can bike, but bikes must be ridden on the road and not the sidewalk.
In 1938, the Ontario and New York governments created the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission to become responsible for the administration and maintenance of the international bridges that cross over the Niagara River.
Construction on the bridge began on May 4, 1940, and the bridge officially opened on Nov. 1, 1941.
The Niagara Gorge is 200 feet deep and approximately 1,000 feet wide. The water underneath the bridge averages 26 to 30 miles per hour.
The number of annual visitors who cross the Rainbow Bridge has not yet returned to prepandemic levels.
In 2019, for example, it was reported that there were 10.5 million passenger crossings in vehicles. So far in 2023, the Department of Transportation reported only 6.6 million crossings.
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