Thousand Islands Bridge

Thousand Islands Bridge
A view of the Canadian side of the bridge system from an observation tower just before the border crossing.
Official name	The Thousand Islands Bridge system
Carries	2 lanes of I-81 and Highway 137
Crosses	Saint Lawrence River
Locale	Wellesley Island, New York, United States to Hill Island, Ontario, Canada
Maintained by	Thousand Islands Bridge Authority
Design	suspension & truss bridge
Total length	Total: 8.5 mi (13.7 km)
Longest span	American suspension: 800 ft (240 m) Canadian suspension: 750 ft (230 m) Canadian truss: 600 ft (180 m)
Clearance below	U.S.: 150 ft (46 m) Canada: 120 ft (37 m)
Construction begin	April 30, 1937 (April 30, 1937)
Opened	1937 (1937)
Toll	Varies $2.50–$13.50 (USD or CAD)
Coordinates	44°20′50.71″N 75°59′0.6″W

The Thousand Islands Bridge is an international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the United States-Canada border in the middle of the Thousand Islands region, from which it derives its name. The bridges all carry two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) and pedestrian sidewalks, and is administered by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority, an international agency.

The actual international border bridge crossing is a set of two parallel 90 ft (27 m) long bridges between Wellesley Island in the United States and Hill Island in Canada.

Structure

The bridge is actually not a single bridge but rather a series of five bridges that span parts of the St. Lawrence River, ultimately connecting both banks. The southern end of the bridge connects with Interstate 81 and the northern end of the bridge connects to Highway 401 via Highway 137. There is also an interchange with the Thousand Islands Parkway on the Ontario side.

History

From ground-breaking ceremonies to completion, the entire Thousand Islands Bridge system took sixteen months to complete, which was ten weeks ahead of schedule. The total cost was $3,050,000. In the early years of its operation, the bridge usually had 150,000 vehicle crossings annually. Today, however, annual crossings exceed 2,000,000 vehicles.

Future

Thousand Island Bridge Authority is conducting a study to determine, among other things, when the bridge will reach its operational limits and how to reduce delay on the bridge.

Gallery

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  Toll plaza on the Thousand Islands Bridge

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  Thousand Island bridge view from Ivy Lea

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  Thousand Islands Bridge

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  The international boundary plaque on the bridge

See also

• List of crossings of the Saint Lawrence River
• Dewolf Point State Park
• Sewells Road Suspension Bridge
• Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge
• Ambassador Bridge
• Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority

External links

• Thousand Islands Bridge Authority
• Aerial photos of the Thousand Island Bridge System
• Ian Coristine's Thousand Islands Canadian Span & Area Gallery
• CBC Digital Archives: Recording of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's address at the opening of the Thousand Islands Bridge