The Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge, commonly known as the Rainbow Bridge, is a

steel arch bridge A through arch bridge, also known as a through-type arch bridge, is a bridge that is made from materials such as steel or reinforced concrete, in which the base of an arch structure is below the deck but the top rises above it. It can either be lo ...

across the

Niagara River The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...

, connecting the cities of

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

, United States, and

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415. The city is located on the Niagara Peninsula along the western bank of the ...

, Canada.

Construction

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 Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the ...

. Architect Richard (Su Min) Lee designed the bridge; a design also used for the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, approximately downriver. The bridge's Rainbow Tower and Canadian side plaza are the work of another Canadian architect, William Lyon Somerville.

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

and

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

, during their visit to Niagara Falls as part of their

1939 royal tour of Canada King George VI and Queen Elizabeth made their visit to Canada from 17 May to 15 June 1939. Taking place in the months leading up to the Second World War, the tour was undertaken to strengthen trans-Atlantic support for the United Kingdom in an ...

, 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. The

Niagara Falls Bridge Commission The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission is an international public agency which administers three international bridges across the Niagara River connecting the province of Ontario, Canada, and the state of New York, United States: the Lewiston–Queen ...

chose the name "Rainbow Bridge" in March 1939, because rainbows occur frequently near the falls due to water spray and mist in the air.

Description and specifications

The

New York State Department of Transportation The New York State Department of Transportation'' (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit sys ...

designates the bridge as , an unsigned reference route. Roads that adjoin the bridge include New York routes 104 and

384 __NOTOC__ Year 384 (Roman numerals, CCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Richomeres, Ricomer and Clearchus (consul), Clearchus (or, less frequently, ye ...

, and the

Niagara Scenic Parkway The Niagara Scenic Parkway (known as the Robert Moses State Parkway until 2016) is a state parkway in western Niagara County, New York, in the United States. Its southern terminus is at the LaSalle Expressway on the east bank of the Niagara R ...

. The

Ontario Ministry of Transportation The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is the provincial ministry of the Government of Ontario that is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario, Canada. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, wh ...

designates the bridge as part of Highway 420. The Rainbow Tower, part of the plaza complex on the Canadian side, houses a

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

, 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. 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. , the cash toll for personal vehicles is $8.50 CAD. In 2025, cross-border traffic declined significantly after the

trade war A trade war is an economic conflict often resulting from extreme protectionism, in which states raise or implement tariffs or other trade barriers against each other as part of their commercial policies, in response to similar measures imposed ...

began, with 23% less Canadians returning home in February of that year.

2023 car crash

On November 22, 2023, a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur traveling at high 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 United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilita ...

officer was injured. The crash and subsequent explosion was at first investigated as a potential terrorist attack, but was later determined to have been an unintentional crash.

Gallery

File:RainbowBridge NiagaraFalls.jpg, Rainbow Bridge, viewed from Ontario File:Rainbow Bridge July 2013.jpg, The bridge as viewed from Canada, with collapsed

Schoellkopf Power Station The Schoellkopf Power Station was built on land owned by Jacob F. Schoellkopf above the Niagara Gorge near the American Falls, downriver from Rainbow Bridge (Niagara Falls), Rainbow Bridge. Understanding the growing need for electricity and the r ...

visible in the distance File:Rainbow Bridge & American Falls at Night.JPG, Bridge and the

American Falls The American Falls is the second largest of the three waterfalls that together are known as Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border. Unlike the much larger Horseshoe Falls, of which approximately 90% is in On ...

at night Rainbow Bridge 2023g.jpg, Underside of the bridge File:Niagara Falls (Ontario) Border Station.jpg, The border station to enter Canada after crossing the bridge from the US File:Follow Stairs to USA.jpg, Directions to the US for internationally destined pedestrians Rainbow Bridge 2023k.jpg, International border marker on the bridge

References

External links