There are several Border Bridges the connect Canada to the US in Niagara and we have listed them below.
The Niagara River runs between to of the Great Lakes connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and in turn, acts as a natural border separating Southern Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States.
In the last hundred years or so there have been many bridges of all shapes and sizes that have crossed the Niagara River and connected the two countries together allowing people and goods to cross without having to fight the wild rapids of the Niagara.
Currently there are a total of six bridges crossing over the Niagara River connecting the US and Canada. Each of them only allow specific types of traffic to cross over them so choosing the right bridge to cross from on your trip to or from the Falls is crucial to saving time and money.
Starting at the Lake Erie end of the Niagara River and working our way towards Lake Ontario the Border Bridges that cross the Niagara are as follows:
The Peace Bridge This structure connects the city of Fort Erie Canada to Buffalo United States. It is open to car, truck and pedestrian traffic. Fort Erie is about a half hour drive from Niagara Falls Canada.
The Rainbow Bridge This border crossing bridge connects the City of Niagara Falls Canada to the City of Niagara Falls Buffalo directly and takes visitors right into the heart of all the attractions of Niagara Falls. This bridge is open to car truck and pedestrian traffic.
The Whirlpool Bridge This bridge also connects Niagara Falls Canada to Niagara Falls US but is only open to vehicles carrying the NEXUS pre-clearance passes only. Generally these are people who work or need to cross the Border Bridges frequently and have passed several security clearance applications to get approved.
The Whirlpool Bridge is also open to train traffic. There is no pedestrian traffic allowed.
The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge Connecting the towns of Lewiston New York with Queenston Ontario this bridge is open to both car and truck traffic. Only a few minutes down river from the city of Niagara Falls, this bridge can be a good alternative if the Rainbow bridge is experiencing heavy traffic. The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge is not open to pedestrian traffic.
The International Railway Bridge Constructed only for the use by trains, this Bridge connects rail traffic from Fort Erie Canada to Buffalo, United States.Not accessible to cars, trucks or pedestrian traffic.
The Michigan Central Railway Bridge The only bridge connecting the two countries over the Niagara River that is currently not in use the Michigan Railway bridge was a railway traffic only bridge that served train traffic from Niagara Falls Canada to Niagara Falls USA.
This bridge is closed and has security barriers preventing any attempts to cross.
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